To Be The Best
by RAYNeeDAYZ
Summary: It's been four years since May became Hoenn League Champion, two since she disappeared. The fame hadn't been what she'd expected, and all she wants is some peace and quiet. But after realizing the cowardice of her ways, she finally returns, encountering old faces and a new problem that even she, the strongest trainer in the nation, cannot fix. Hoennchampionshipping
1. Regret

**A/N To anyone who's been reading my other stories, please forgive me. This is something I've had in my head for a long time, and I just had to get it out. I've read quite a bit HoennChampionshipping fanfics, and I've always wanted to write one of my own.**

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Today marked the seven hundred thirtieth day - two years exactly - since May disappeared from the public eye. She'd been keeping count.

And she wouldn't exactly call it a disappearance even though that's what the media referred to it as. To call it a disappearance implied that she was completely off the map, that she'd simply ceased to exist without a trace.

But she was still here. Hoenn's Champion had not left her nation. It was just that aside from her parents, nobody knew where she'd gone.

So she liked to call her situation not a disappearance, but a hiatus. To her, it sounded better. Less grim.

She tilted her head back to stare at the cloudless sky and decided to make a wish on a star. Just because it was daytime didn't mean the stars weren't there – the sun just outshone them.

Closing her eyes, she made her wish: she wished that she wasn't the Champion.

She wasn't hopeful that it would come true, though. She'd been wishing for the same thing for years and it had yet to come to fruition.

Though she'd been Champion for four years, May had yet to battle a single person. Few were able to beat Sidney, and nobody ever made it past Phoebe – not that the League got many challengers these days, anyway.

It was hardly surprising, though. Hoenn had plenty of young trainers, but May and the list of her incredible feats were more overwhelming than inspiring. The trainers were the stars, but May was the sun – she outshone them to the point that they didn't even show.

Four years ago, when she'd been a girl of sixteen, she managed to stop the entire organization of Team Aqua from wreaking havoc on the whole world, become Pokémon League champion of Hoenn, and destroy an earth-bound meteor with the legendary Rayquaza. To the population, she was, without a doubt, the strongest, most heroic girl on the planet.

She should have felt fortunate for having fulfilled her dream to be the best. All she could feel, however, was regret.

She should have let the police deal with Team Aqua instead of storming their base on a whim. She should have let Mossdeep's Space Center handle the meteor crisis instead of boarding a legendary dragon and shooting off into the galaxy. She should have been content with being a normal, small-town girl instead of spending every moment of her waking life training to be the very best.

Because being the best was no fun. All of the action-packed events in her life had ironically paved the path for boredom.

After waiting days upon days at Ever Grande for a challenger, she'd desperately retreated to the Battle Resort. The place was a magnet for seasoned trainers hailing from all over the world, so surely there had to be at least _one_ trainer who could best her. At least, that's what she'd told herself again and again as she pummeled through the competition.

It'd been effortless to win, with most of the matches ending in one-hit K.O.'s on her part. She'd gone through so many rounds that even the receptionists lost count, and she'd quickly fled the resort. Her victories weren't satisfying anymore. She gained nothing from them: no experience, no thrill, no satisfaction.

But she supposed it was unfair to say that all she got out of fame was boredom. She also got anxiety.

She hadn't been able to take a single step outside of her house without having the paparazzi swarm her like a horde of zubats. She'd always thought it was pretentious for celebrities to wear sunglasses everywhere they went, but she finally understood why they did so when she became a celebrity herself. The flashes from two dozen cameras could be more blinding than the sun.

Her fans weren't any better. It was a terrible time to be famous, what with everyone owning a high-tech, camera-included pokénav. She could've been doing something of little importance, like buying eggs at the supermarket, and people would gather into small mobs and start snapping pictures of her. For May, moments like these had been the most de-humanizing. It seemed that as everyone's hero, she was no longer entitled to privacy.

The worst part was that she wasn't the only one who had to deal with this. Everyone had wanted to meet the parents of the world's strongest trainer, and it wasn't fair for them to also be harassed on the streets by paparazzi and fans alike. Although Norman and Caroline had assured their daughter that they were fine, May knew that the sudden and unwanted change in their lives had been all her fault.

The fame was a leech – it sucked the life from her.

Every time she'd had to go on the air for an interview, she was always told to present herself in a way that made her look heroic, brave, and refined. Nobody would want a sixteen-year-old girl as the nation's Champion if she didn't act mature.

And she'd done as she was told. She'd kept her chin up, squared her shoulders, and pretended to be years beyond her age. She'd traded in her shorts for dress pants and skirts, and had cast away the red hair bow she'd worn since childhood. She'd held herself in a light that made her appear dignified and strong, like Hoenn's rightful ruler.

Consequently, she'd had to alter her personality to fit the expectations of her many fans, and had been forced to smile for the cameras so often that she couldn't remember what it felt like to genuinely to so. Every attempt at one now came out as a grimace.

She also no longer knew how she was supposed to act when she wasn't on camera. She'd become the empty husk of a girl, the Shedinja of a Nincada.

But if there was one thing she did know, it was that she wanted out.

So after just two years of being Champion, she'd left. She'd packed only her team and several changes of clothes, left a letter for her parents on their kitchen table, and departed for the skies.

And thus began her hiatus.

At first, she'd made the Sky Pillar her new home. The only people who knew its location were the Draconid and descendants of the original Sootopolitans, and not even they would have guessed that this was where the champion had decided to hide.

But one can only live for so long in an ancient ruin. Wild pokémon like Golbats and Sableye constantly scurried about, and cold, stone floors did not make for a fit sleeping space. May had only lasted a few days before she relocated.

It was convenient for her that Pacifidlog Town was nearby. She'd taken advantage of its pokécenter, where she was served microwaved dinners and given access to an actual bed.

The town was extremely small, housing a population of less than twenty people. It was not as isolated a town for its residents not to know who May was, but the hype surrounding her wasn't nearly as big as it was on the mainland. Some residents asked her for an autograph, but most kept to themselves and generally ignored her, which May found to be extremely refreshing. It'd been a while since anybody had treated her like a normal human being.

It helped that Pacifidlog didn't have a gym, the one incentive trainers usually had for traveling. She didn't know what she'd do if a visitor from somewhere big like Mauville happened upon the small town and saw her residing there. The media would be there before she could blink, and she'd be forced to find another place to stay.

Over time, the Pacifidlog people warmed up to her, lending her new clothes and occasionally feeding her home-cooked meals. It was nice to be treated like a friend rather than like the strongest trainer in the country.

She spent her time fishing on the docks, reeling in a few fish per day. The town was big on the consumption of seafood, and she wanted to contribute to its small society in any way she could. Though she wasn't any less bored with her life, it was satisfying to have a small sense of purpose.

Her mother called her every day via pokénav, making sure she was still alive and kicking. At first, Caroline had tried to convince May to return home, saying that she and Norman missed her terribly and that things would get better.

Her parents had been the only people to stay by her side when her life had turned upside down. Even though they, too, had been affected by the ugly side of her fame, they'd always welcomed her home with smiles on their faces. Norman had even begun to spend less time at the gym, choosing to be at home for the sake of his daughter.

No, their support hadn't been enough to make her stay, but she was much appreciative and owed it to them for at least trying. Calling them just once a day wasn't nearly enough, and May knew she was the worst daughter on the planet. Still, she refused to go back to Littleroot. In the long run, her parents were better off without her.

At the end of the first year since her disappearance-slash-hiatus, one of the residents had approached her before she'd gone back to the pokécenter to retire for the night.

"You still living in the center?" he'd asked, crinkling his eyes up at the pokécenter like it was only a little better than a shabby motel.

"Yeah." She'd gazed at the man. "You're Gus, right?" It was hard not to know all the residents of a town when there were less than twenty of them.

Gus was a man of about forty-five to fifty years of age, with white roots beginning to show at the base of his dark brown hair. He typically wore collared shirts tucked into beige trousers. This had initially struck May as odd, since most of the residents usually wore swimsuits or fishing attire.

Gus had laughed, though May hadn't meant to be funny. The sound had been deep and booming, reminding May of Wattson, the gym leader of Mauville, whom she recalled laughed every time he opened his mouth. "Gus I am. And everyone knows who you are, Miss Champion."

May had tried to smile in response but she was sure she looked like she'd just swallowed a lemon.

"Don't you get bored living there?" Gus had asked, nodding toward the pokécenter. "I heard that the mattresses are hard and the food's awful."

"The beds aren't terrible. And though the food is always pre-packaged or canned, it isn't terrible either. Also, some of the town's residents have invited me over for dinner a few times."

"Huh." Gus had scratched his head. "I thought you'd been living with Lane."

Lane was a woman just a little older than May who lived in town with her two younger sisters. She'd been one of May's first friends in Pacifidlog only because May had traded her Bellossom for Lane's Corsola. Whenever May had needed a new set of clothes or wanted to borrow a swimsuit, she went to Lane due to their similar physical statures. But that was pretty much the extent of their relationship.

May had shaken her head. "No. But the pokécenter is fine."

"Maybe for one night it is." Gus had placed his hands on his hips. "Why don't you come live with me and Pa? There's only the two of us in that house, y'know. And we have a spare room."

"Pa" was Gus's father, Charles. She hadn't seen much of him in the year that she'd been in town, but she remembered him telling her about Mirage spots upon their first meeting.

"They say, here in Hoenn, there are places called Mirage spots," he'd said, his old voice brittle and thin. "But one does not simply walk into a Mirage spot. Not to mention that these places also appear and disappear mysteriously."

Of course, May knew that the reason these "mirage spots" appeared and disappeared was because of the changing ocean tides. Depending on the time of day, the fluctuation of ocean levels could completely submerge an entire island.

Though she certainly hadn't told any of this to Charles. The old man got a youthful shine in his old eyes whenever he talked about the spots. Telling him the truth would be like telling a young child that Santa Claus didn't exist.

"You can't live in the center forever," Gus had continued. "You've done a great deal for us by fishing everyday. I think it's time you move out of a facility and into a house, don't you?"

May had hesitated. The thought of living in a house again was appealing, but she didn't know either of these men all that well.

Her living conditions had been more than enough, anyway. It didn't matter to her that she no longer ate at five-star restaurants or slept on thousand-dollar mattresses. This town had served as the one oasis in her world of chaos, and for that, she was extremely grateful.

Gus hadn't waited for an answer. He'd began walking back to his house, easily balancing himself on the log walkways that connected the buildings together.

"Come on," he'd said. "Pa will be alright with it."

And so, she'd moved in with Gus and Charles.

When she'd told her mother a week later, Caroline had freaked out.

"You're living with two old men?!" she'd screeched into the phone, her voice rising several octaves in her fright.

May had held her pokénav away from her ear. Her mother's panicked voice had invoked the image of nails on a chalkboard. "Gus isn't _that_ old."

"May!"

She'd sighed. "Mom, it's fine. They're not bad people."

"You don't know that! What if they, I don't know, try something?"

"They're not going to _try_ anything, and I _do_ know they're not bad people. They gave me my own room and everything."

"That doesn't matter! You get out of their home this instant and –"

"Just because they're older men doesn't mean they're bad people. And they know I'm the Champion." Well, at least Gus knew she was. She couldn't tell if Charles did since he only ever talked about Mirage spots. "They won't hurt me. I've already been living with them for a week, and they've been nothing but good to me."

She'd heard her mom huff out a deep breath through the phone. "I don't know, May. I don't like the thought of you living with two men I've never met."

"Then I'll introduce you." May had handed her pokénav to Charles, who'd been sitting next to her at the kitchen table. "Here, Charles. My mother would love to meet you."

Charles had brought the nav to his ear. "Hello, miss."

May had heard her mother reply a curt "Hello" in response.

"Do you know about Mirage spots, miss?" Charles had asked. "They say, here in Hoenn, there are places called Mirage spots. But one does not simply walk into a Mirage spot. Not to mention that these places also appear and disappear mysteriously."

He'd gone on a tangent for several more minutes, during which May had gone upstairs to take a quick shower. He was still talking by the time she'd dressed and come back to the table.

"Thank you, Charles," May had said, gently taking the nav from his frail fingers. "I'm sure my mother has learned a lot."

Charles had smiled. "Anytime."

"Mom? Are you still there?"

"…Yes."

"Still think they're going to try something?"

Caroline had been silent for a moment before saying, "If Mirage man does anything to make you feel uncomfortable, you take out your pokémon and you get out of there. Understand?"

"Yes."

A year quickly passed, and not once did May need to take her pokémon out for the sake of her safety.

She'd fallen into a steady routine. She swam laps with the town's children first thing in the morning, though they were more accustomed to the strong ocean currents than she was, and she was always the first one to tire out. In the afternoon, she sat on the docks with her feet in the water, reeling in a number of fish with her Super Rod. Sometimes, she went over to Lane's to converse and drink tea. At sunset, she returned to Gus and Charles' house for dinner and listened to Charles talk about Mirage spots. Then she went to bed, and after a few hours of sleep, repeated the process.

She never made any plans to return to the mainland. She didn't have any desire to. While this wasn't the most exciting life, it was a peaceful one. And that was enough for her.

"May!"

May looked up from her place on the dock to see Lane waving at her from her house. She placed her fishing pole beside her and waved back.

"Come join me!" Lane said before disappearing inside the house. That was May's cue that it was time for tea.

She headed for Lane's, holding her arms out for balance as she treaded on top of the log walkways. Unlike the native Pacifidlog residents, May wasn't completely used to the shaky walkways, and she'd fallen into the ocean quite a few times because of them.

She was lucky today, making it to Lane's without a single drop of seawater on her. She walked right inside to the living room and sat in her designated spot on the leather sofa. Lane was already pouring tea into a matching pair of cups.

May's eyes snagged on the newspaper sitting on the coffee table.

"What's this?" She picked it up.

It was uncommon to see newspaper in Pacifidlog. The place was more isolated than Dewford, and means of communication with the rest of the region were hard to come by. Did Hoenn's mailing service decide to start sending its paperboy all the way out to the middle of the ocean?

"It's a newspaper!" Lane exclaimed excitedly. She plopped next to May on the sofa, making them both bounce against the cushions. "I've only ever seen them when I visited Slateport a few years ago."

"Where did it come from?" She looked at the front page and raised her brows.

The front article read, _Champion May Still Missing, Hikers Claim to Spot Her in Kalos._

Even after two years without any public appearances, she was still a topic of conversation? That was disappointing.

"You didn't hear?" Lane asked.

"Hear what?" She put down the paper.

Lane leaned in close as if she meant to tell a secret. "We have a visitor."

This was surprising. "A visitor? Here, in Pacifidlog?"

Lane nodded once. "Mm-hm. He's the one who gave that to me." She gestured toward the newspaper.

"This guy came all the way out here just to give you a newspaper?"

"Of course not!" Lane playfully smacked May on the shoulder. "I just happened to see the paper sticking out of his bag and asked for it. He's really nice."

"How did he even get here?"

"I think he came by Wailmer. Impressive, right? Most people don't bother trying to get to us by water because of all the currents."

"Do you know who he is?" May asked. If this stranger saw her, would he run to the nearest news station and report her location?

Lane shrugged. "I think he's some scientist or something, because he was wearing a white coat. Like, the kind you'd see in a lab."

"A white coat?" The first person that came to mind was Professor Birch. "Did you catch his name?"

Lane giggled. "Is this a game of Twenty Questions?"

May pursed her lips.

Lane sighed. "I forget… Something with a B?"

Birch?

"What does he look like?" May could feel the hope swell in her like an ocean wave.

Professor Birch was the one who had given her a Mudkip, her very first pokémon. That same Mudkip was now a Swampert, and he was May's most faithful companion.

She was more or less ashamed to admit that she hadn't thought much about Birch over the last few years, but the prospect of seeing him now was highly appealing. It'd been a while since she'd seen a familiar face. She knew that if he was indeed the mystery visitor, he'd keep her location a secret from the public. He was just that kind of person.

"What does he look like?" Lane repeated. "Um, brown hair, kinda tall… I couldn't see his eye color."

Though incredibly vague, the description matched the professor.

May stood up. "Where is he now?"

"I think he went over to your place. He's asking everyone about the types of pokémon that live around here."

"I see. Thanks, Lane." May was already walking out the door.

"What about your tea?" she heard Lane ask as the door closed behind her.

She walked as fast as she could to Charles' house, slipping once against the logs and landing on her stomach. Water seeped through the front of her shirt and shorts, and she quickly pulled herself to her feet.

Some children who were swimming nearby laughed at her fall, but she ignored them as she continued her trek.

The front door was already open when she arrived. She quietly walked inside, taking notice of Gus sleeping on the living room sofa, and followed the sound of voices coming from the kitchen.

She heard Charles' voice first.

"…are places called Mirage spots. But one does not simply walk into a Mirage spot. Not to mention that these places also appear and disappear mysteriously."

May rounded into the room, disappointment immediately taking the wind out of her sails.

Although the visitor had his back to her, she could tell he was not Professor Birch.

He was skinnier and taller than the professor. Along with his lab coat he wore black dress shoes with black dress pants, which differed greatly from the professor's casual attire of shorts and sandals. His hair was brown, but it was slightly unkempt, styled in a way that implied he was relatively young.

"I see…" the stranger said in response to Charles, and May could tell he was only pretending to be intrigued.

She took a step back, needing to duck out before the stranger could see her. She felt like a fool for having expected the professor to be here, and she turned on her heel.

In her haste, she knocked over a nearby pot, the hard clay landing against the wood floors with a loud _thud._

The stranger turned toward her.

Recognition hit her like a lightning bolt.

Even though he was taller, even though his voice was deeper, she still recognized him. How could she not? He was the first friend she'd ever made in Hoenn. His face was one she'd know anywhere.

He glanced at her with the look of someone noticing a person for the first time, his eyes quickly sweeping over her shocked expression before landing on the fallen pot. He tilted his head in greeting at her before turning back to Charles. Then he wheeled around in a double-take, and she knew he recognized her, too.

He shook his head slowly as if he didn't believe what he was seeing. His breath caught in his throat, and it looked like someone had suddenly pushed him from behind as he took a shaky, uneven step toward her.

"May?" Brendan breathed, his eyes widening in raw disbelief.

May had once considered Brendan her rival. They'd both gotten their first pokémon at the same time, and they'd both initially shared the same dream of becoming Champion. They'd even battled against each other a number of times. And although May had always been the victor, Brendan was never too far behind. If he'd continued to train his team after May had become Champion, he very well could have taken the title for himself.

But he hadn't continued. Instead, he'd gone back to Littleroot and, like his father, became more interested in studying pokémon than battling them. He'd shut himself in the lab, and they hadn't seen each other since before she became famous.

May wasn't sure if his change in ambitions was due to him losing the title to her, or if he sincerely wanted to study pokémon. Either way, she was disappointed. The one person who could have given her a run for her money no longer wanted to.

Now here he stood, four years since she last saw him, seeming to have fully committed to the life of a pokémon professor.

"Brendan," she started, "what are you doing here?"

He swallowed hard. "I… I'm updating a log of all the pokémon in the region, and this was the last town I needed to visit. Of course, I haven't even started on all the water routes yet, but I figured I'd – wait." He shook his head as if to clear his mind, his disbelief giving way to anger. "What am _I_ doing here? What are _you_ doing here?"

May blinked. Was his anger directed at her? "I live here now. In this house, actually."

"You…" The disbelief was back in full swing.

"Can I get you kids some snacks?" Charles asked.

"No, thank you," Brendan said, "though I am going to borrow this for just a brief moment." He took May by the elbow and dragged her toward the door. His strides were long, and she was practically jogging to keep up.

Despite his obvious anger, she marveled at how different he was.

They used to be the same height, able to look each other squarely in the eye. Now he was a giant, towering over her by a full head, and she needed to crane her neck back just to meet his gaze. All traces of baby fat had left his face, the lines of his features hard and sharp. He was physically stronger now, too. She could feel it in his grip on her arm.

He released her once they were outside on the dock. She spoke first.

"Why are you so angry?"

"Why am I so angry?" he repeated, astonishment coloring the contours of his voice. "May, you've been M.I.A. for what, a year and a half?"

"Actually, today marks two years exactly."

"Two years!" he exclaimed. "You've been missing for two years!"

"Just because I haven't been seen in a while does not mean that I'm missing," she interjected.

"That's the exact definition of missing!"

"I'm not missing," she insisted again. "If I was, wouldn't you think the police would be looking for me?"

"Yeah, but –"

She cut him off. "My parents know where I am. And I've spoken to the police, so they know I'm still alive. If I really wanted to, I could go back to Littleroot at any time."

"Then why don't you?"

"Because I don't want to."

"May." Brendan ran a hand through his hair, looking as if he was about to tear a fistful of it out. "Everybody, and I mean _everybody,_ has been wondering where you've run off to. I thought you were in Kalos!"

May recalled the newspaper article she'd seen at Lane's. "That's ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous is the fact that you've been right under our noses this whole time."

"Why is that ridiculous? I'm the Champion of Hoenn, and I have an obligation to watch over this country. I've never had any intention of leaving it."

"How can you watch over it from here? How would you even know what the rest of society is up to?" Brendan demanded. "This town is in its own little world."

"It's not _that_ isolated."

He threw her a dubious look. "A woman I met earlier today got excited over a newspaper!"

May shrugged. "We don't get a lot of mail here."

Brendan pinched the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. "I can't believe you've been here this whole time… we were worried sick about you."

A flat, "I'm sorry," was all she could manage. What else could she say?

A stray wave lapped over the edge of the dock and raced toward them. May let it run over her bare feet, taking pleasure in the sudden coolness, while Brendan leaped back to avoid getting his shoes wet.

He sighed as the wave retreated back into the ocean. "Isn't the Champion supposed to be at Ever Grande? What if a challenger drops by and you're not there?"

May dug her pokénav out of her pocket and held it up. "Phoebe said she'd call me if someone ever managed to defeat her."

Brendan was silent for a moment. "Has anyone ever…?"

May dropped the nav back in her pocket. "No."

"That still doesn't explain why you're here of all places. Why haven't you dropped by at home, or anywhere else for that matter?"

"I told you. I don't want to go home."

"What about your parents?" he asked, and inwardly, May groaned. He was dangerously treading on a sensitive topic.

"I already said they know where I am."

"Do they know that two old guys have practically adopted you as their own?"

May huffed. "Yes, they know about my… roommates. And Gus isn't _that_ old."

Brendan looked at her, his brows drawn together. "They miss you."

May turned away from his gaze. "I know. I miss them, too."

"Then why…?"

"They're better off without me."

"How? May, they need their daughter."

"What they need is some peace and quiet," she said, "and they certainly can't have that with me around."

"What are you talking about?"

May counted her fingers. "The paparazzi, the hordes of fans, the lack of privacy… Am I missing anything?"

"They're not dealing with any of that anymore. Not that I've seen."

She folded her arms. "They're not?"

"No. Not since…" he trailed off, seeming to connect the dots behind her point.

She finished his sentence. "Not since I left."

He didn't say anything.

"See? My staying away has been good for them."

"So is that it?" he demanded, angry again. "That's why you left? Because the media was bothering your family?"

Well, _bothering_ made it all sound mellow.

"I know that you don't want to bring attention to your parents," Brendan continued, "but would it kill you to come visit them every so often? No one would know."

"I won't risk it," May insisted. "As long as I'm still on the news, I'll keep my distance."

Brendan snorted. "You're _always_ going to be on the news."

She turned away from him. "Don't say that."

"Why not?" He was genuinely curious.

"Because I don't want to be famous anymore." Never had she spoken with more conviction.

"Wait, seriously? I thought you celebrities thrived on all the publicity."

May released a short "hm," the closest sound she could get to a laugh. "Not me."

They were silent for a moment, listening to the sound of waves splashing against the docks. Overhead, a small flock of Wingulls passed by, squawking orders to each other. The breeze picked up, bringing with it a draft of salty sea air.

Finally, Brendan spoke. "Yeah, I guess I can kinda see your point. I've seen how… _intense_ the fame can get, especially when it comes to fans and everything."

May pursed her lips. How could he have possibly seen how intense it is? It looked to her like he'd been quite busy studying every single pokémon of the entire region. No time to follow celebrities or anyone of the like.

"But I don't think you can just magically become _not_ famous," he continued, "so staying away isn't the answer."

She looked at him through tired eyes. "Then what is the answer?"

"That, I can't tell you. But," he held up a interjectory finger, "answer this. How many others have prevented a group of water-loving psychos from drowning the world? How many others have become the nation's champion just one year after receiving their first pokémon? How many others have saved all of humanity from a huge-ass meteor? And finally, how many others have done all this at the age of… how old were you? Seventeen?"

She didn't correct him. "What's your point?"

"My point," he said, placing his hands on his hips, "is that you're a hero, May. You're _always_ going to be famous, one way or another." He paused. "Kids in school right now are probably learning about you in their textbooks."

She stared at him. "If you're trying to cheer me up, you fail."

He laughed. "Ah, no, you missed the point. I was trying to say that you might as well make peace with your fame, seeing as it's not going anywhere. I mean, in your case, trying to become less famous is like trying to empty the ocean with a thimble. It's futile."

She rolled his words around in her mind. "Make peace with the fame…?"

"Yup. Like… learn to accept that it's always going to be there. Like a shadow," he added. "You shouldn't have to avoid it like it's the plague."

"Accept it," she replied flatly. "How do I do that?"

"You can start by coming home."

She sucked a breath through her teeth. "I don't know…"

He sensed her hesitation and flashed an encouraging smile. "You know what? You don't even have to tell anybody that you're back in Littleroot. That'll keep the press away from your parents, right?"

"I mean, I guess, but –"

"If anyone asks, say you got a new apartment in Rustboro or something. It'll make people look for you in places you're not really in."

May shook her head. "It's not that easy."

"Well, that's what contest stars do, and it seems to work." He sounded very sure of himself.

She gazed up at him. "Why do you know that?"

He self-consciously rubbed the back of his head. "I, uh, know a few people."

That explained nothing.

"Oh, damn," Brendan muttered, looking at the time on his watch. "I've stayed too long… I'll never make my dinner reservation in Sootopolis if I don't leave now."

May could feel the anticipation of a goodbye. The disappointment hit her harder than she'd thought it would.

"If you have to go, then by all means go," she said, seeing him hesitate. "I don't want to keep you here if you have other places to be."

He glanced up at her. "Then… I'll see you back in Littleroot?"

She blinked. "I never said I was going back."

He frowned. "What?"

"I never said I was going –"

"I heard you the first time. But what do you mean, you never said you're going back? Don't you want to see your parents again?"

"Of course I want to see my parents. But didn't you hear me before? They're better off without me. Besides, I like it here." It wasn't a complete lie.

Brendan stared at her like she'd just grown a second head. "You'd seriously rather stay here than go back home?"

If she wasn't famous, she'd choose Littleroot. But she _was_ famous, and while Littleroot meant seeing the two people who loved her above everything else, it also meant blinding cameras and rabid fans.

On the other hand, Pacifidlog meant security and routine. She could very well live out the rest of her life here, doing the same things she'd been doing for the past two years. She didn't have much else going for her, anyway.

But she surprised herself by saying, "I'll think about it. Going home, that is."

Brendan looked at her like he thought she was lying. "Will you?"

"Yes," she said, feeling a bit offended by his obvious mistrust.

"I hope you don't mean that you'll think about it ten years from now."

"You know that's not what I mean. I'll… I'll think about it tonight."

"Yeah?" He still looked a bit skeptic.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"How will I know what you decide?"

"You'll know what I decide by whether or not I return to Littleroot."

His shoulders relaxed. "All right… If I don't see you in a few days, I'll be back."

She pursed her lips. "I guess I can't stop you."

He laughed once at her disgruntled expression. "Seriously, though. If you do end up coming home, you should come to the party."

"The what?"

"The Devon party?" he repeated in the form of a question. "You know, the biggest event of the year? It's happening in a week?"

She returned his unbelieving gaze with a blank stare. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He slapped a palm across his forehead. "Well _damn,_ May. How is it that you can be the champion of this region, but not know about the Devon party? This place really _is_ its own little world."

A spark of irritation stirred in the back of her mind. Devon party this, Devon party that. "Just tell me what it is."

"Well, as you clearly _don't_ know," Brendan said, "Devon Corporation is throwing a party."

The same spark of irritation began to burn into a flame. She'd forgotten how condescending he could be. "Yeah, I kind of figured by the name."

Devon Corporation produced virtually all of the nation's products geared towards Pokémon training. It was the biggest business in Hoenn, and it sponsored every pokémart in the region. To say it was a big deal was an understatement.

It was founded and led by its president, Joseph Stone, the same man who happened to be the father of ex-champion Steven Stone.

 _Steven Stone,_ May thought, her mind turning a bit wistful.

She used to look up to Steven, viewing him as a model of what she'd aspired to be. He'd been kind to both people and pokémon alike, treating even her, a young teenage girl from Littleroot, as an equal. When she'd met him for the first time in Granite Cave, she didn't think once that this gentle and friendly man was actually the nation's strongest trainer.

How foolish she must have looked when she'd developed a silly crush on him. She'd only been sixteen, and he, twenty. He'd probably never even thought about her in that way, even when she proved stronger than him. If he had, then surely he would have told her in person that he was leaving the country instead of letting her find that letter on his kitchen table.

"So recently," Brendan said, pulling May from her train of thought, "Devon and Silph Co., y'know, the company from Kanto, teamed up to produce a line of new pokémon products. Like stronger pokéballs, and better potions and such. Anyway, sales were so high, that Devon is throwing a huge party next week to celebrate!"

She waited to hear the exciting part. "So…?"

He made a choking noise. "May, this is a big deal. Only the most esteemed trainers and celebrities are invited! Don't you wanna go and be part of it?"

"Not really, no."

"Why not?"

"Brendan, I just told you that I didn't want to be famous anymore, and the first thing you do is tell me to go to the biggest party of the year?" She shook her head. "I can't just show up to something like this after being missing – I mean, on a hiatus, for two years. People would pounce on me. You even said yourself how intense the media can get."

"Of course you can just show up to this," he insisted. "It's gonna be huge – there'll be news crews and everything."

Was he listening? "Brendan – "

He raised a hand to cut her off. "Look. If you're gonna come back to society, you might as well let the whole country know all at once. This party is the perfect way to do just that."

She could feel her anxiety levels spike at just the thought of tossing herself back into the fray. No way was she ready for that.

Brendan reached into his pocket and pulled out a pokéball. He directed it at the water and summoned his Wailmer.

He hopped onto its back and turned to face her. "I gotta go, but I'll be back in Littleroot in a few days. If you decide to come back, knock on my door or something. I know someone who can help you prepare for the party."

He surfed away, and May could only stare at his retreating figure with her jaw hanging open.

Was Brendan serious? A _party?_ She'd hated how many people crowded around her whenever she went to the supermarket. She couldn't even begin to imagine how many people would be at a party, let alone the biggest party of the year.

She forced her legs to move back into Charles' house. It looked like this would be her permanent home from now on.

She opened the door to find Gus and Charles sitting on the sofa. They looked up at her when she entered.

She stared back. "What?"

Gus scratched his chin. "Your friend is right. I think you should go to that party."

"What… how did you hear about that?"

He pointed to the window against the wall. It was wide open. "Your conversation woke me up."

She pursed her lips in disapproval. "You shouldn't eavesdrop."

He grinned. "Sorry, it's a hobby of mine."

She sighed and sat in the rocking chair nearby. "I don't care what any of you say. I'm not going back to Littleroot, and I'm sure as hell not going to some stupid party."

Gus chuckled. "Why not? A party sounds great to me."

"Well, not to me. I'm not going."

"Ah, such stubbornness," Charles said, readjusting his glasses over his nose. "I was a bit like you in my youth."

May became silent. She anticipated the conversation to turn to Mirage Spots, just as it usually did.

"But your friend… Bernard, was it?" he asked.

"Brendan," she corrected.

"Oh, I was right! Anyway, Bernard knew what he was talking about. If you go back, you might as well let all of Hoenn know. It'll get the hard part over with, like ripping off a band-aid."

"I'd rather just stay here, if that's okay with you."

Charles smiled, his teeth yellowed with age. "You're free to do whatever you want, my dear. I don't mind keeping you in my house."

May sagged with relief.

"But the longer you wait to rejoin humanity," Charles continued, "the more chaos there will be when you finally return. And you've waited long enough. Two whole years today, yes?"

This took her by surprise. "How…?"

He waved her off. "The people may overwhelm you in the beginning, but as Bernard said, you can learn how to make peace with your fame. The longer you live with it, the more you'll get used to it. So you need to return as soon as possible."

"But what if I never return?" May questioned. "What if I just stay here with you two for the rest of my life? Then I wouldn't have to worry about fame or anything of the sort."

"You _could_ do just that, but it wouldn't be much of a life," Charles pointed out.

May had already known that. "It's a better option than going back, though."

Charles gazed evenly at her. "Your dream was to become Champion, was it not?"

May looked down at her hands resting in her lap. "It was."

"Well, every dream comes with a nightmare." He leaned back in his seat. "A man buying his dream house will still have to pay the high taxes that come with it. And you, as Champion, still have to deal with all the fans that admire you."

She'd never thought of it that way.

"But it's not just me they admire," she blurted out. It almost sounded like an excuse. "I mean…"

"Your parents became famous too," Charles guessed.

"Yes," May said, surprised that someone seemed to understand. "You should've seen it. Every day, people would cram themselves into our town and surround our house. My parents were practically trapped there. It wasn't fair to them."

"Nothing's fair about being a parent," Charles said, his voice rich with the wisdom of one who'd lived a long life. "It's a job that never pays and never ends. But it's also a job we do willingly, because we know that our children are worth it. Believe me, we'd do _anything_ for your sakes. I gave this guy –" He pointed at Gus "- one of my kidneys, and I'd do it all over again without a second thought."

Gus grinned. "Thanks, Pa."

Charles continued. "I'm sure your parents are more than willing to deal with all that chaos so long as it means that you're able to be with them. Right now, they might be living the quiet lives you wanted for them, but that doesn't mean they're happy. Am I wrong?"

That struck of chord of guilt within her.

He was right. Her parents weren't happy. They hadn't been for quite some time. She'd known that. She just hadn't wanted to admit it.

She could hear it in the cheeriness of her mother's voice during their daily phone conversations - it was always too exaggerated to be authentic. May knew Caroline could never actually be _that_ excited over the sunny weather or the sale on potions in Oldale Town. She could see right through the surface of the façade, and what she saw was plain hurt.

May also knew that the reason her father never answered the phone was because he was spending more hours at the Petalburg gym. More than he'd used to spend, which had been a lot to begin with. Her mother had informed her of this in a casual remark when May had questioned his whereabouts. Caroline hadn't wanted May to give it much thought, but May knew Norman was just as upset by her leaving.

He'd always liked to use battling as a mean to avoid his feelings. Whether he and Caroline had an argument, or the super rare pokémon he'd been trying to catch ran away, he would whisk away to the gym and focus every bit of his attention on battling his many faithful students. He'd stay well after the gym normally closed, sometimes not coming back home until the next night.

And it sounded like he was still doing the same thing now.

She couldn't help the image that seized hold of her mind like a tight fist. She saw her father going through battle after battle at his gym, only stopping every once in a while to eat and sleep. Then she saw her mother in an empty house, sitting alone at their kitchen table.

Their family of three was in fragments, and it was all May's fault. All this time, she'd tried to convinced herself that they were better off without her, that they were living more peaceful lives without a million cameras buzzing around. But in reality, had she mixed up her priorities? Was privacy really better than happiness?

Charles kept talking. "You only have one life and two parents. One day, you won't have either. Go back now before you waste any more of your time."

His voice was so full of regret that May wondered if he'd experienced the same kind of loss. "Charles..."

He folded his bony hands together. "The problem goes much deeper than that, though. Doesn't it?"

May sighed. The old man was much more intuitive than she'd given him credit for. "You're right. As selfish as this sounds, the safety of my parents is only one of the reasons why I don't want to go back."

Charles waited for her to continue.

She sighed. "I know that both you and Brendan are telling me that I can learn to live with the fame, but the truth is, I don't think I can. Just _remembering_ what it was like makes me anxious beyond words. All the pushing and shoving and questions and cameras… I don't want to face any of that ever again. I can't."

Charles was silent for a long moment. He took off his glasses, fogged the lenses with his breath, and rubbed them clean with the front of his shirt. May was beginning to think he didn't hear her until he finally asked, "How is it that you are able to save us all from destruction, but can let your own popularity force you into running away with your tail between your legs?" His usually brittle voice sounded stronger. It didn't fit his small frame. It was like the cry of a Pyroar had just escaped the mouth of a Skitty.

She was too stunned to respond.

"You didn't become Champion purely by chance. You became Champion because you're strong, but frankly, you haven't acted like it for quite some time," he continued. "It doesn't matter that the aftereffects of your fame turned out to be more extreme than you'd thought. What's done is done, and you can't look at the past and wish you'd never done all the heroic deeds that have led you to this point. It's time to start looking forward."

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

He made a noise that sounded like a scoff. "I have a hard time believing that the same girl who saved the world can be bothered by things such as _pushing_ and _cameras_ and whatever else you said. Honestly, it's very disappointing to see that the depths of our Champion's bravery are much more shallow than we thought. Wouldn't you agree, boy?"

Gus, who was clearly not expecting to be included in his father's lecture, swallowed hard. "Uh, well, I mean… uh –"

Charles barreled on ahead. "If you ask me, May, I think you'd better start taking your title of Champion seriously and face your problems head on instead of hiding away for the rest of your life."

His words were like a slap in the face, but a much needed one at that.

Just one conversation with Charles – one that wasn't about Mirage Spots - was all she'd ever needed to see the ridiculousness of her ways.

For four years she'd hated the fact that she was Champion, viewing the title as a ball and chain that had held her in one place. She'd thought that she was stuck to a fate of always winning, that no one could ever beat her.

But she _had_ been beaten. She'd let the paparazzi keep her indoors, let the lack of challengers keep her bored, let the foolish thought that her parents were better without her.

Charles was right. She was the strongest trainer in the country, and she needed to stop hiding away like a coward.

How embarrassed would Hoenn's residents be if they knew that their Champion had run away in response to their adoration for her?

She needed to pay the full price of her fame, and she would start by going home.

Gus and Charles watched her as she stood up. Facing them, she bowed.

"Thank you for all that you've done for me," she said, "but I really must be on my way."

"Should you, now?" Charles asked, and Gus erupted in laughter.

"Yes," she replied, "and believe me when I say that I can't thank you enough. You were the ones who took me in when I had nowhere to go, and now, you're the ones who are sending me back to where I really belong."

Charles' expression softened. "You don't need to thank us, my dear. You would have left on your own eventually."

May disagreed. "I don't know about that. I can be pretty dense when it comes to seeing the bigger picture of things. I needed someone to tell me the hard truth, and you did exactly that. Again, thank you." To think that the words she'd always needed to hear had lied in the very place she'd run away to. "But I have just one question."

"What is it?"

"How come you never said any of this sooner? Like when I'd first arrived two years ago?"

Charles released a scratchy-sounding laugh. "Though I did want you to figure this all out for yourself, I couldn't be sure when that would happen. You could have missed the Devon party!"

May groaned. "Don't remind me."

He stood up to pat her on the shoulder. "You'll be just fine."

"Yeah," Gus said, standing up as well. "Besides, you always have us to come back to if things get too crazy."

"Thank you," she said simply.

"Before you go," Charles said, "I need you to know something."

May waited.

"I don't remember if I've ever told you this, but they say, here in Hoenn, there are places called Mirage spots."

May lifted up one corner of her mouth. It wasn't quite a smile, but it wasn't her usual grimace, either. "And one does not simply walk into a Mirage spot, right?"

* * *

 **A/N I've released the first two chapters at once, so click "Next Chapter" and let me know what you think. Please review!**


	2. Black Waters

May had forgotten how small Littleroot was.

She'd flown for several hours on her Salamence, the sun having quickly given way to the darkness of night. The region below her had been bright in condensed patches, like a few light bulbs randomly lit in a dark room. From this she'd been able to tell where the major cities were, and she'd nearly flown past Littleroot when she realized that she was getting too close to Rustboro.

She'd commanded her pokémon to land in the small, clear plot of land she knew must be Littleroot.

Even though only three buildings made up the town, she didn't remember them being so close together. This place made Pacifidlog look like a huge city.

Small as it was, the town was quiet. It was almost unsettling. The last time she was here, every corner was filled up with people wielding cameras.

She stroked her pokémon's long neck before withdrawing him back in his pokéball. She walked up to her front door, quieting her breathing as if she was being watched through the trees.

The kitchen light was on, its brightness subdued by the drawn linen curtains. She remembered her mother buying those curtains after their window had attracted way too many eyes of the general public.

She reached her fist out to knock but stopped herself. Was she really going to knock on her own front door?

She pushed on the handle, and surprisingly, it wasn't locked.

She entered slowly, feeling like a stranger in her own house. The warmth enveloped her like a friendly hug, and the homey smell of her mother's cinnamon candles washed over her in waves of nostalgia.

Nothing had changed. Every piece of furniture was exactly where she'd left it. It was like she was walking into a memory.

The soles of her shoes made squeaking sounds against the waxed wooden floor.

"Norman?" Caroline called from the living room. "Is that you?"

May flinched at the sound of her mother's voice. Though she'd heard it via pokénav everyday for the past two years, it was different hearing it in real life. It sounded softer, somehow. Real. Motherly.

She couldn't bring herself to say anything back. Her throat had gone dry, her voice breathless and hiccupping.

Despite what Charles had said about the indisputable love of a family, May was terrified.

How would they react to her now? Would they be angry at her sudden appearance after she'd run away for two years without warning? She knew they'd always love her, but she certainly hadn't done anything to make them proud in the recent past.

Before May could run back outside and take a few deep breaths, Caroline rounded the corner.

The plate she'd been drying fell from her limp fingers and landed in a thousand pieces on the floor.

Mother and daughter could do nothing but stare at each other.

Like she had done with Brendan, May marveled at how different Caroline looked. Her brown hair was streaked with thin strands of gray, and the crows' feet lining her eyes were much more prominent. It looked like she'd lost a lot of weight, her cheeks slightly sunken into her face.

It had only been two years, but Caroline looked like she'd aged ten instead.

"May?" Caroline asked, the shards of the plate crunching underneath her heels as she took an unsteady step towards her daughter. "Honey, is that you?"

The back of May's eyes burned, and she took a step of her own to meet her mother halfway. "Yeah, Mom."

"Oh, May," Caroline cried, throwing her bony arms around the girl's neck. "You've finally come home."

They stood like that for what felt like an eternity. Caroline cried softly, her tears soaking the front of May's shirt. May hugged back, tucking her head between her mother's neck and shoulder. They were the same height now, and their hair was in each other's eyes but they didn't care. May had forgotten just how good a mother's touch could feel, and she almost cried herself. She didn't though, but her eyes shone with the unshed tears.

Finally, Caroline pulled back, still keeping her hands on May's shoulders.

"May… we've missed you so much," she said, her voice hitching like she was about to weep again. "I'm so glad you're finally home."

May placed her hand on top of Caroline's. "Me, too."

Caroline took the sleeve of her dress and mopped at her wet face. "You should have told us you were coming back."

May rubbed the back of her head. "You're right, I should've called or something. I'm sorry."

"Oh, honey, don't apologize." She reached out to brush May's hair out of her face. "You're finally home. That's all that matters."

May's eyes started to burn again. "Where's Dad?"

"Oh!" Caroline said, as if she'd just remembered the existence of her husband. "He's at the gym – you know how he likes to stay late to help all those students of his. He'll be so excited… I'll go call him now!" She ran into the kitchen.

May loitered around the living room, her view sweeping across the family pictures that were hanging up on the wall. There was one of May as a child, dressed in light blue overalls, looking up at the camera with a wide, baby-toothed smile. There was another one of May with her parents, the three of them squeezed together on a park bench, arms wrapped tightly around each other. This was taken back in Johto, before they'd moved.

Then there was the picture of May right before she'd set out for her journey through Hoenn, holding her Mudkip in one hand and making a peace sign behind its head with the other.

May paused on that last photo. It was like she was looking at another person.

The sound of beating wings and the cry of a Flygon outside caught her attention. A second later, Norman burst through the door.

"Where's May?" he demanded, his deep voice filling the entire house.

She looked at him and raised her hand like a schoolgirl. "Right here, Dad."

He closed the distance between them with broad steps and pulled her in for a hug.

"May," was all he said, his voice just as strong and gruff as she remembered.

Her face was pressed against his shoulder, and all she could smell was that masculine, fatherly scent that she hadn't realized she missed so much; it was a familiar mix of sweat, citrus, and sawdust. She couldn't remember the last time he'd hugged her like this. For a moment, she felt like a little girl again, one who thought that her father could protect her from anything in the whole wide world.

He pushed her away, his huge hands still clasping her by the shoulders.

"It's good to finally see you again, May," he said. Like his daughter, he didn't cry, but his eyes looked a little glassy.

"Thanks, Dad."

Age had been a little kinder to him than it had been to Caroline, but it still looked like he'd aged more than just two years.

His black hair had turned a bit salt-and-pepperish, and his usually shaven jaw was dotted with stubble. He still had those thick, dark eyebrows that made his resting face appear menacing, but May was glad to see that the fire in his eyes had not completely burned out.

He gave her a broad smile that seemed to stretch across his entire face. "My daughter, you have no idea how much I've missed you."

"I missed you too, Dad."

"Look how different you are," he mused, looking her up and down. "The last time I saw you, you were only this tall." He leveled a hand just slightly above his waist.

May knew he was exaggerating but humored him anyway. "Yeah. Growth spurt, maybe."

Norman shook his head in awe. "Two years…"

"And she's finally home," Caroline said as she walked back into the room. "That's all that matters." She kept stealing nervous glances at May, eyeing her like she was afraid any mention of the long absence would prompt her to leave again.

"I won't do it again," May clarified. "Leave home, that is. I'm back for good, so you don't have to worry."

The room went silent for a moment. An air of tense hopefulness settled over them, as if what May had said was simply too good to be true.

Caroline spoke first. "You promise you won't take off again without telling us first?"

"I won't take off again, period," May said. "Like I said, I'm home for good. I'm done running away."

Her dad broke out in a wide grin while her mom looked like she was about to burst into tears again.

May cleared her throat. "There's something else I'd like to say."

They waited, eyes full of patience and anticipation.

She took a deep breath. She knew that the time for apologies had long passed, but that wouldn't stop her from saying them anyway. "I'm sorry for everything I've put you guys through. For all those cameras, and for leaving for two years… I'm sorry. So, so sorry. More than you will ever know."

"You don't have to apologize, May," Norman said while Caroline nodded in agreement. "None of that was your fault."

"Yes it was."

"It wasn't. Apologizing for those stupid cameras – it's not your fault that the whole country loves you. You _are_ my daughter, after all," her father said proudly. "But you had to grow up so fast. If leaving was your solution to finding a bit of peace, then we support it one hundred percent."

"We understand that you did what you needed to do," her mother added, "but I'd rather you didn't do it again. Not without us, that is."

May swallowed hard. She wished she'd told them in person that she was leaving instead of leaving a letter. She knew first-handedly how disappointing it felt to find one, and they deserved better than that.

"Mom, Dad… I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"Come," Norman said, leading the family into the kitchen. "You must be starving. Caroline! What do we have to eat in this house?"

"Uh…" Caroline went to open the fridge. "I can heat up some cold pizza?"

"Hmm." Norman rubbed his chin in contemplation. "How about I just order a fresh one? After all, our daughter's back. It's a special occasion."

Caroline was already handing Norman a phone. "Good idea. Order from Mauville – they make the best pizza."

"That's okay," May said, interrupting them before they could spend twenty pokédollars on food that she wasn't going to eat. "I'm not that hungry, I'm just tired. I might go to bed now, if that's all right."

"Oh," Caroline said, putting down the phone. "Yeah, honey, that's fine. I forgot that you had a long trip."

"Yeah…" As much as May wanted to catch up on things with her family, she really was tired. She yawned for good measure. "We'll have time to talk more tomorrow."

"Of course," Caroline agreed.

"Well… goodnight," she said.

"'Night, May."

"Goodnight, honey. We're glad to have you home."

She started for the stairs leading to her room, feeling the gaze of her parents on her back. They watched her with cautious eyes, like they were afraid she'd burst right out the door and into the night.

She made it upstairs and closed the door upon entering her room. She fumbled blindly for the light switch against the wall and flicked it on.

Like the rest of the house, her room had remained untouched.

Her desk was still there in the corner, a handful of books neatly stacked on its top shelf. In the opposite corner sat the giant Lapras doll she'd gotten for her thirteenth birthday, along with the flat screen T.V. she'd bought for herself three years ago. The clock that hung on her wall was frozen, the big hand on the five and the little one on the seven.

She kicked her shoes off, leaving them strewn across the floor. She didn't care that she was still wearing shorts and a tank top. She was too tired to bother changing into pajamas, and she shuffled to her bed in the corner and flopped onto the mattress. She reached up for the nearby switch and covered the room in darkness.

* * *

May remained at home for the next few days, and the hours seemed to stretch longer than ever before now that she wasn't abiding by her daily Pacifidlog schedule. Her father still went to his gym every day, but fortunately came home at reasonable times. Her mother seemed thrilled to have some company at home, not seeming to mind that May wasn't doing much of anything.

In May's mind, she only had a few more days before the Devon party. After that, these days of peaceful lounging would be over. She'd enjoy them now while she could.

"You're going to the Devon party?" her dad asked one night after she'd announced her intention to attend.

"Yes," she said. "This is the perfect way to come back into the public eye."

"Are you sure? There's supposed to be hundreds, if not thousands of people."

"I'm positive. It's not like I can stay hidden forever."

"Do you want me to come?" All gym leaders were invited, but she knew that her dad had never planned on going. He despised parties, but she was very appreciative that he had offered to go anyway.

"That's okay, Dad. I was only going to stay for a few hours."

But as she went to bed the night before the party, she didn't want to go at all. Despite all that Charles had said, she was petrified of what was to come.

She stared up at the ceiling from her bed, the white walls gray under the dim lighting of the half-crescent moon. Her eyes glazed over, and she imagined herself surrounded by dark figures and bright flashes, a prey caught by her predators. In her mind, the circle around her began to close until it was pressed tightly against her body, clinging to her like wet clothes. She couldn't see. She couldn't breathe either, and as her eyes focused back into reality, she realized she was gasping for air.

Her body felt hot and sweaty, and she dumped her covers to the side. She forced herself to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth until her heart settled in her chest.

She squeezed her eyes shut. All the reasons why she had left in the first place were becoming all too crystal clear, like a dirty window being washed by the rain. It took every fiber of her being to stay lying in bed instead of launching out the front door and high-tailing it back to Pacifidlog.

At the same time, Charles' words still circulated through her head, and she knew that she'd be the lowest of the low if she were to run away again.

Her thoughts had become a pendulum, swinging back and forth between these complex series of emotions until she felt someone shaking her shoulder.

"May," came her mother's voice. "It's two o'clock in the afternoon. You need to get up."

May groaned in response, opening her eyes just enough to see the sunlight filtering through her window.

Somewhere along the night, her thoughts had slipped effortlessly into dreams, and she hadn't even realized that she'd fallen asleep. It certainly didn't feel like she had, and her eyelids were heavy with exhaustion.

Caroline shook her again. "Brendan's here to see you. You didn't tell me that you guys ran into each other at Pacifidlog."

May shouldered away her mother's touch. "Tell him to go away."

"Now that's not very nice," came a man's voice.

May looked over her shoulder and saw that Brendan was standing a few feet away, a grin plastered on his face as he gazed down at her.

Caroline sighed and turned to him. "See if you have any luck getting her out of this bed. I have to run to the store for a bit."

"Roger that."

May heard her mother pace away. Then Brendan's grip was around one of her wrists, hauling her up into a sitting position. Her head bobbed lifelessly atop her shoulders.

"I knew you'd come home," he said, talking as if she wasn't still half-asleep. "I'm pretty persuasive, don't you think?"

Charles was the one who'd given her the push she needed, but she stayed silent.

"So?" Brendan asked excitedly. "You ready to party?"

He released her hand, and she flopped back into the bed and threw the pillow over her face. "No."

"Aw, don't be like that. It'll be great. We'll make sure of it."

She moved the pillow from her face to look up at him. "We'll?"

He grinned. "I did say that I knew someone who could help you prepare for the party, didn't I?"

She raised a brow. "Who is it?"

He seemed to turn a bit pink. "My girlfriend."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Brendan Birch, you have a girlfriend?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah."

"Well, congratulations."

"Thanks."

She sat up, fully awake now. "How long have you two been dating?"

"A year and a half."

"Sounds pretty serious."

"It is. I mean, it gets a little rocky sometimes, 'cause we both have really busy schedules, but it all works out in the end." His face seemed to light up, and she really did feel happy for him.

She got out of bed and stretched her arms over her head. "When is she coming over?"

"I picked her up this morning, and she's been getting ready over at my house ever since. I'd say she should be making her way over here…" He looked at the time on his nav.

Just then, three loud knocks bounced off the front door downstairs.

Brendan looked up. "Right now." He began for the stairs. "Wait here – we'll be right up."

She sat back down on the edge of the bed.

She never would've guessed that Brendan would go and get himself a girlfriend. Not that she thought he'd never stood a chance, he'd just always seemed more focused on things other than dating. Even when she saw him the other day, his attention seemed to be on his work as a pokémon professor. Nonetheless, she was happy that he'd found a serious relationship.

She heard Brendan coming back up the steps, another pair of legs right behind him.

May wrung her hands nervously. It was like she was meeting her sister-in-law.

Brendan appeared in the doorway again. "I'd like you to meet…" He stepped aside, revealing the small figure behind him. "My girlfriend, Lisia."

"Oh my gosh," Lisia said. "May?"

May stood up. "Lisia?"

"Wait." Brendan swiveled his head between the two girls. "You two know each other?"

Years ago, Lisia had tried to recruit May as a Contest star when they ran into each other at Slateport. May was supposed to have been the one-hundredth trainer scouted by Lisia, but she hadn't been too keen with the contest life. The same went for her pokémon. Her Swampert was supposed to have entered a Beauty Contest once, but had taken one look at a Bidoof wearing sparkly blue eye shadow before walking right out of the hall. That was the only time he'd ever disobeyed May, and she couldn't blame him. Her pokémon loved fighting, not wearing tutus and prancing around on a stage.

Nonetheless, she and Lisia had become good friends. Neither had ever had a close girl friend and was inspired by the way the other trained her pokémon. Lisia was awed by May's unwavering tenacity and strength, and May by Lisia's ability to coordinate lethal battle moves into works of art.

She and Lisia had tried to keep in touch, but their fame just hadn't let them.

But here they stood in the same room, seeing each other for the first time in years.

Like Brendan, Lisia had changed a lot. Her mint-green hair was down, no longer styled in a wavy ponytail that made her head look like a music note. In place of her usual two-piece contest outfit was a tight, dark blue mini dress. It was revealing all the same, but made her appear more like an elegant woman rather than a preppy idol.

"You did _not_ tell me that May was your neighbor!" Lisia chastised Brendan before trotting over to the bed, her heels loud against the wood floor. On the way, she tossed the large tote bag she'd been carrying to the floor. "May, I've missed you so much!" She threw her arms around the girl.

"I – I missed you, too," May said. She had not expected any of this.

Some of Brendan's words from a few days ago ran through her mind then.

 _I've seen how… intense the fame can get, especially when it comes to fans and everything._

 _Well, that's what contest stars do, and it seems to work._

 _I, uh, know a few people._

No wonder he'd said all that. He was dating Hoenn's most famous Contest star!

Lisia pulled away. "I can't believe Brendy-boo didn't tell me it was you I was dressing up today!"

May raised her eyebrows. Brendy-boo?

"How was I supposed to know you guys were friends?" Brendan asked, coming to stand over them. "Neither of you has ever even mentioned the other!"

"You could have at least told me that I was helping the Champion!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise. It would've been great seeing Hoenn's most famous women meeting each other for the first time, but I had no idea you two were already like this." He twisted his index and middle fingers together.

Lisia turned back to May. "It's been so long since we've last spoken. How was Kalos? I hear the cities are beautiful."

"I wasn't in Kalos…"

"Never mind where she's been, Liz," Brendan interrupted. "Shouldn't you start working your magic?"

"Wait, we're getting ready for the party _now?"_ May asked.

"Yes, we're getting ready now." Brendan dug out his pokénav and shoved it in her face. "Look at the time."

The time read 2:14 p.m., but the party didn't start until six.

"What? We still have four hours." May swatted his arm away.

"Actually, we only have two," Lisia corrected. "Only a select few get to go at four, and that includes us."

"It starts at _four?"_ May repeated. That meant she had two hours less to mentally prepare herself.

"Yes!" Lisia said, jumping up to retrieve her fallen tote bag. "I arrived a little later than planned, so we need to get started right away." She dug into her bag and pulled out a stiff piece of paper. "Here's your invitation – Brendy-boo, put this on her desk please." Then she took May by the shoulders and began pushing her towards the bathroom across the hall. "Go take a shower, and make it quick."

"Alright…"

Hot showers usually filled her with peace and relaxation, but today, she felt like she was burning. She imagined that every drop of water was a camera flash, burning deep into her skin again and again until there was nothing left of her.

The dark thoughts were here to play again, and she pushed them to the back of her mind. She forced Charles' words to play over again and again in her mind like a broken record until she managed to convince herself that this was all for the best.

She inhaled a lungful of steamy air.

Today was a test of courage, and she would pass it. She was the Champion, and Champions didn't get scared.

Still, the three loud knocks that pounded on the door made her jump.

"May?" Lisia asked. "You almost done? We need to get started on your makeup."

May turned off the water and grabbed the bath towel folded on the sink counter.

"Coming." She wrapped the towel around her body and opened the bathroom door, steam pouring behind her.

She padded into her room but stopped suddenly, remembering that Brendan was still here. As close as she was to him, she wasn't sure that he or his girlfriend would be comfortable with her parading around in nothing but a towel.

Lisia giggled at May's hesitant stance. "Don't worry. Brendy-boo went home."

"Went home?" May asked, moving to sit on the edge of her bed. "Isn't he coming to the party with us?"

"Yes," Lisia replied, reaching into her bag and pulling out a brush and a set of big hair rollers. "But you know guys. They require a lot less time than us gals to get ready. I'm sure Brendy-boo is taking a nap right now as we speak." She began raking the brush through May's hair.

Lisia went quiet, the tip of her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she focused on rolling May's hair up.

May cleared her throat. "Hey, Lisia?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you ever get bored?"

"Bored?" Lisia repeated.

"Yeah. Like, with being a Contest star."

"Of course not. Contests are my life. Well, Brendy-boo is, too." She finished rolling the last strand of hair into a curler.

"But you've competed and won so many contests," May pointed out. "Doesn't it all seem repetitive after a while?"

"Sometimes, yeah," Lisia admitted. "But I have this friend named Chaz who's really passionate about contests. His Macherie is really cute, and they're a tough pair to beat. In some categories, Ali and I don't stand a chance against them!" She smiled. "They make me want to work even harder."

Was that why May was bored with the path she'd chosen? Because she didn't have a rival with whom she could butt heads?

"But what about the overall fame?" May tried. "The fans, the paparazzi… does it ever get to you?"

"A little. But in the end, I remember that all the people who surround me just appreciate what I do. It's nice to receive so much support and attention, right?"

Well, she certainly had a different take on fame than May did.

May slumped in her seat. She was hoping that Lisia could relate to her in some way, but it looked like she was on her own. Maybe some people were made for fame. Maybe she wasn't one of them.

She closed her eyes and held her lips tightly shut as Lisia began to dab at her face with foundation. She knew virtually nothing about makeup, the most she'd ever worn being a few coats of mascara and lip-gloss during T.V. interviews. She trusted that Lisia would make her look good, but she grew a bit wary when a black pencil came straight for her eye.

"I won't make you look like a Pancham or anything," Lisia reassured her. "I'm just adding a little wing."

And then she pulled out a stick of red lipstick, so bright that it almost hurt to look at.

"It's so…" May searched her mind for the right word. _"Red."_

Lisia laughed. "It is, isn't it?"

May pursed her lips. She'd never worn something so dramatic, and she didn't want to make her debut back into society looking like a clown.

"Do you not like it?" Lisia asked, taking note of May's unenthusiastic expression.

"No, no. It's fine. It's just… I've never worn anything like it."

Lisia removed its cap and turned the stick up. "Then you'll be surprised by how good you'll look." She began smoothing it over May's lips. "When you apply makeup, you're supposed to accentuate your best feature. You have great lips, so we're going to bring the focus to them."

"Mm-hm," May said, making sure to keep her lips closed.

"Annnnnd… there." Lisia stepped back to admire her work. "I think it's safe to say you're face is done, and we still have…" She pulled out her nav. "Thirty minutes until we leave."

May stood up. "I guess I'll go get changed then and –"

"Woah, hold on." Lisia pushed her back onto the bed. "What, exactly, do you plan on wearing?"

May thought for a moment. "I don't know. I was just planning on going through my closet to see what still fits me, or I can always borrow something from my mom."

Lisia hissed as if she'd just been scalded. "May, you do realize that this is your first public appearance in like, forever, right?"

"Yeah…"

"So don't you wanna wear something that _isn't_ years old, or from your mother's wardrobe?"

"I guess, but we don't have time to go shopping for anything new."

Lisia grinned. "Right you are, my girl. That's why you so owe me when I show you…" She reached inside the bottom of her tote bag. "This!"

In her hand was a long, skinny dress, colored the same shade of red that May wore on her lips. It was strapless and the skirt brushed the floor, and May realized that it had a slit where her left leg would go.

In Lisia's other hand was a pair of sparkly, gold heels, much higher than the ones Lisia was wearing.

Suddenly, the red lipstick May had worried about being too dramatic seemed very unexciting.

Lisia's looked expectant. "Well? What do you think?"

Instead of saying that the dress was flashier than what she was comfortable with, May simply said, "Thank you very much." It's not like she had anything else to wear, anyway.

Lisia beamed. "You're so welcome. When Brendy-boo told me that I was to help out a fellow woman today, I got the dress made ASAP. Of course, it's made with my measurements, but I'd say we're about the same size." She placed the dress and heels in May's arms and sauntered over to May's wardrobe, opening drawer after drawer until she found a pair of panties. She placed those in May's arms, too. "Put these on."

May looked down at the pile of clothes she held. "You forgot to give me a bra."

"No, I didn't. The dress has one built into it."

"Oh… okay."

"Go and put it on. I can't wait to see what you'll look like!"

"Right." May started for the door.

"Wait, are you going back to the bathroom? Just change here; we're both women. Besides, I don't want you to see what you look like until after I take your hair down."

May sighed. The more time she spent with Lisia, the more she felt like a child.

She put her underwear on underneath her towel, then turned around and let it fall to the floor. She stepped into the dress and shimmied it on, and Lisia moved forward to zip it up. Then she slipped the shoes on, and she took a few test steps to make sure she still knew how to wear heels. They were a little snug on her feet and she foresaw blisters in the near future, but she was at least able to get around in them.

Lisia clapped her hands together. "You look amazing!"

May was doubtful. "You think so?" The slit in the left leg went higher and wider than she'd thought, and she kept moving the skirt over in an attempt to make it look more modest.

"Of course. You're sure to attract a few heads tonight. Now come sit down again. I'll take those rollers out."

May did as she was told, and her hair dropped to her shoulders lock by lock.

By the time the last roller was removed, Brendan had let himself back into the house and was walking through the bedroom door. He wore the same black dress pants and shoes that he'd worn in Pacifidlog, but there was now a black tuxedo jacket in place of the white lab coat.

He raised his eyebrows upon seeing May. "Well done, Liz."

"Thanks, sweetie!"

"Can I go see what I look like now?" May asked.

"Of course!"

She got up and strode into the bathroom, the dress billowing out behind her like the feelers of a Sylveon. She reached for the light switch and faced the mirror.

"How'd I do?" Lisia asked, coming to stand in the doorway.

May could only stare at her reflection.

Her skin tone was even, and her cheekbones were high and bright. Her eyelids were lined with black wings, perfectly symmetrical on either side of her face. It was a simple look, and yet it made her blue eyes appear big and mysterious. But she was most surprised by her lips. The red worked surprisingly well on her face, perfectly outlining her Cupid's bow and making her lips appear full.

Her dress was the same shade of red, and it looked better on her than she'd thought it would. It hugged the curves of her body, and the long skirt made her appear tall and elusive.

Her long, wavy hair framed her face, and it was parted in a way that made a few strands settle over her left eye.

She looked much more mature than what the public last saw her as. No longer was she Hoenn's teenage leader. She was a grown woman now, finally back to face the things that had driven her away.

"You did a great job," she said, turning to Lisia. "Thank you." And she meant it.

"Anything for a fellow woman."

"You guys ready to go?" Brendan asked. "It's about time."

Lisia began hopping up and down. "Yes!"

Brendan began walking down the steps. Lisia quickly followed behind him, lugging her tote bag over her shoulder.

"Oh." He stopped mid-step and Lisia bumped into his back. He looked back at May. "Bring your team."

"My team? Why?"

"Why else? We're flying there."

"Don't worry," Lisia added. "We'll fly slowly so our hair doesn't get messed up."

May stepped into her room, grabbed the small leather bag that held her team and a few other items, and joined the others downstairs.

She looked around the house. "Is my mother still not back from shopping?"

"I didn't hear her come in," Lisia said. "Why? Did you need her for something?"

"No." May strode toward the front door. "I think it's best that she's not here right now, actually. She'd probably want to take a ton of pictures." And May would be getting plenty of that tonight.

She stepped outside, her heels sinking into the soft grass. Brendan and Lisia followed right behind her, and they stopped in the small clearing between her and Brendan's homes.

She released her Salamence at the same time Brendan released his Tropius.

She looked expectantly at Lisia. "Aren't you going to take out your Altaria?"

"Of course not. Ali doesn't know how to use Fly. That move is a waste in Contest Spectaculars. Besides." She wrapped her arms around Brendan's neck, and he turned shiny Gyarados red in response. "This way, I get to ride with Brendy-boo."

"Um… great."

May walked up to her pokémon. She placed her hands around his neck and lifted a leg to climb onto his back. It was a little awkward because of her dress, but she managed to successfully maneuver herself in place.

She looked back and saw that the two Luvdiscs were in their places too, Lisia's arms tightly wrapped around Brendan's waist.

"Let's get this over with," May muttered, prompting her friends to laugh.

She waited until Tropius was off the ground before commanding Salamence to follow. They glided only several feet above the treetops, and they were moving so slowly that the breeze was only a whisper through May's hair.

Salamence grumbled at the slow pace, and May patted him on the neck.

"Oh, look! Look!" Lisia said, excitedly tapping Brendan on the shoulder. "There it is!"

Sure enough, the tall, imperious buildings of Rustboro began to surface over the trees in the distance.

May took a deep breath. She could do this.

The buildings became nearer and nearer until finally, the whole city was in view. May could already see the commotion at Devon. Masses of people were gathered outside its entrance, forming black blobs that sparkled with camera flashes.

Brendan commanded Tropius to land at the city entrance, and May and Salamence followed suit.

They landed, and Brendan helped Lisia down before withdrawing his pokémon. May did the same despite wishing that she could walk in with Salamence at her side, as if he could help her get through the night. But this was one battle that she alone had to deal with.

"Alright." Lisia gathered her friends into a loose triangle formation as if they were a sports team discussing the play of a game. "This is the biggest event of the year, so appearance is everything! May, if my makeup smudges or anything, I need you to pull me aside, but be discreet about it."

"Discreet? How?" she asked.

"You could use a code word or something," Brendan suggested.

"A code word…" Lisia mused. "I like it."

May sighed. "What do you want me to say?"

"How about…" Lisia looked around as if the code word would be floating in the sky. Her eyes snagged on a nearby berry bush. "Razz Berry?"

"Razz Berry's good," Brendan said, though it looked like he was just trying to appease his girlfriend.

"Then it's settled! You hear that, May? If you see me looking less than spectacular, come up to me and say 'Razz Berry.' I'll do the same for you."

May pursed her lips and gave one curt nod. She didn't think going up to anybody and saying "Razz Berry" was in any way discreet, but her friends seemed pretty excited about it.

Lisia adjusted her bag over her shoulder and turned in the direction of the city. "Let's go."

Brendan was walking at Lisia's side in a heartbeat, and May caught up to do the same. The dirt path beneath them quickly paved into stone, and the tall city buildings towered over them.

The path was fenced in by velvet rope, and masses of people stood on the outside. Even the windows of nearby apartments were filled with curious faces, all trying to catch a glimpse of Devon party attendees.

As the trio made their way down the path, the volume of the crowd began to increase. All eyes were focused on Lisia, and they chattered excitedly amongst one another and held out pads of paper and pens for her to sign. She gave in to their desires and glided from side to side, autographing her name with a quick flick of the wrist.

May had been keeping her eyes glued to the ground, standing a little in the back with Brendan. As soon as she gathered the courage to look up, some guy standing nearest to her glanced her way. He scrunched his brows in confusion before tapping his friend on the shoulder and jerking his head in her direction. Despite the cheering around them, they brought their faces close together and began whispering, still keeping their eyes on her. Then a Swanna landed farther up on the path, and they finally looked away to focus on that.

May almost didn't see the woman riding on its back, for her dress blended in perfectly with her pokémon. The skirt appeared to be made entirely out of white feathers, and it ballooned out like a poképuff. The woman blew a few kisses at the crowd before continuing her way down the path.

May recognized her and strode to Lisia's side. "Isn't that Annette Harrison?" The actress starred in hundreds of films.

Lisia gritted her teeth in obvious anger. "Unfortunately."

May didn't ask any further questions.

The change between the civilians and cameramen was quick. Those who were yielding cameras surrounded the Devon gates, and their serious and focused expressions contrasted greatly with the awed and curious ones of the cheering fans.

By the time May and her companions rounded into the gates, all cameras were aimed on Annette. She seemed to enjoy the attention, and she struck a few poses before gracefully disappearing into the building.

The cameras swung around, ready for their next victim, and May swallowed hard as they found their way to her.

At first, all the flashes seemed to be on Lisia. She deliberately slowed down, smiling wide and flipping her hair.

May was beginning to feel at ease. She was being left alone.

And then someone yelled, "Wait a minute. Isn't that Champion May?"

There was a moment of silence as everyone studied her.

Then it was like she was Solar Beamed in the face. She was nearly blinded by the flashes, and she instinctively raised her hand over her eyes. She couldn't see the faces behind the lenses, and it felt like she was being closed in on something that wasn't entirely human.

"Champion May!" someone called from the crowd. "Where have you been these past few years?"

"Is it true that you went to Kalos?" another asked.

"Why'd you run away?"

"Look here! Look here!"

She was living her nightmare all over again.

Despite the blinding brightness, she felt as if she was being pulled under black waters. She didn't know which way to go, which way would give her the air she so desperately needed.

Arms reached out and grabbed hers, forcing her legs to move. She tried to speak, tried to shake off the people who held her, but her mind was thrown into disarray. Her will to face her fears was crumbling to the ground, and all of Charles' words seemed to slip away in the wind.

What had she gotten herself into?

"May!" came a voice, sharp with concern.

She forced her eyes to focus again. Somehow, she was standing inside the building. The lobby was much quieter than it was outside, and the only people around were the receptionist at the front desk and a few security guards standing near the walls. They eyed her with concern, as did Brendan and Lisia, who still had their hands around her arms.

She backed up out of their reach. "I… I'm fine."

Lisia huffed out a breath. "You didn't look so fine back there. Didn't you hear me? I said 'Razz Berry' like, five times."

"Sorry…"

Brendan rubbed the back of his head. "Well, we're here now, right? Let's just… have some fun now. Okay?"

May sucked in a deep breath. She'd failed miserably at her plan to make peace with the fame.

"Quit being a coward," she whispered to herself as she followed her friends across the lobby.

"Here for the party?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes ma'am," Brendan answered.

"May I see your invitations?"

Lisia reached into her bag and pulled out two flat pieces of paper, a golden pokéball-shaped seal in their corners. She slid them across the counter.

May touched Lisia's shoulder. "Lisia, I forgot my invitation."

"Oh, that's okay!" the receptionist quickly said. "You don't need one, Champion May. The president has always spoken fondly of you, and he'll be pleased to know you've stopped by." She gathered the invitations into her hands. "You guys are going to go up the stairs to your right. The party is being held on the second floor."

"Thank you!" Lisia said, already bounding off for the stairs.

As May and Brendan turned to do the same, the receptionist called out, "I-it's nice to see you again, Champion May! I've always been one of your biggest fans!"

The security guards shot her a warning look.

"Th-thank you," May replied, and the receptionist blushed. The security guards relaxed.

"That was almost a disaster," Lisia said as May caught up to her. "I can't believe you forgot your invitation!"

"Sorry…"

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter, does it? You got in!"

"Yeah…" May said, trying to sound enthused.

All the desks and computers that usually occupied the second floor were nowhere to be seen. The spacious room was teeming with chattering partygoers and servants holding trays of drinks, and everyone looked up as the trio walked through the door.

A hush settled over the room, and all conversations were subdued to whispers. Everybody was watching May, not even trying to hide the fact that she was the topic of discussion.

She stood awkwardly in the doorway, wanting to hide underneath the refreshments table by the back wall.

"You always know how to make an entrance, don't you?" came a shrill voice to the side.

May turned her head in time to see a young woman saunter over. Her hairstyle – two buns on the top of the head that tapered off into two long ponytails in the back – was easily recognizable.

May raised her brows in surprise. "Roxanne."

Roxanne stopped in front of her. "I see you're finally back from the dead."

"Yeah…"

"It's about time. Some of my students have been asking me if you'd ever visit us again, and I've never been able to give them a direct answer. You'll visit, right?"

"Of course."

"Good." Roxanne smiled and closed her eyes. "I sometimes remember the day I handed you the Stone Badge. I felt so uplifted from our battle."

"Me too," May said. The Stone Badge had, after all, been her first badge ever.

"Even though I don't stand a chance against you, it would make me happy if we could battle again someday."

"That goes for me, too!" came a man's voice.

A tall, blue-haired man decked out in black-and-orange sports gear suddenly appeared behind Roxanne.

He grinned down at May. "Long time no see, Champ."

Roxanne sighed. "Brawly, didn't anyone tell you that this was a black-tie event?"

"What are you talking about? I'm wearing black, aren't I?" Then back to May, "I didn't even recognize you for a sec. Not until everyone started whispering your name like a mantra or something." His voice was loud and bold, easily overpowering the thin whispers. It only seemed to bring more attention to where May stood, but Brawly didn't seem to notice.

He rested his hands behind his head. "Jeez, how long has it been? I haven't seen you since you challenged the gym, which was ages ago."

"Yes, it's certainly been a while," May agreed, trying to keep her voice low to match the quiet room. "But I'm back now. For good."

"Excellent." His smiled grew a bit reminiscent. "A wave may draw back, but it always returns to shore. A giant wave of a talent like you… I knew you would return eventually."

"Speaking of which, I am a bit curious," Roxanne said. "I'm sure Surfer Dude here is too. So May, would it be rude of me to ask where you've been all this time?"

May stiffened. She should've seen this coming. It was such an obvious question, and yet she'd done nothing to prepare herself for it.

"Wait." Brawly held out a hand. "Don't tell us. You've been in Kalos, haven't you? Or more specifically, Frost Cavern?"

"Um, no…"

"Oh, I see." He nodded slowly, as if he'd been entrusted with a personal secret. "Don't wanna give up your secret training spot, eh? Can't say I blame you. You don't have to worry though – your secret's safe with me!"

Even if that was a secret of hers, he wasn't doing a very good job at keeping it. He was still talking incredibly loud, and by now, nearly everyone in the room had stopped talking altogether to eavesdrop.

"Frost Cavern…?" Roxanne mused. "I suppose it _is_ a rather good training spot, but I'd never be able to withstand the cold for long. How'd you do it?"

"Don't you know where Frost Cavern is?" Brawly asked Roxanne. "Dendemille Town is _right there._ So it's not like she was camping out in an igloo the whole time." He turned to May. "Right?"

May sighed heavily. She should have remembered how lies spread much faster than the truth, how misinformation was promoted in an attempt to boost social engagement. Oh, the beauty of the media.

Her sigh did not go unnoticed, and Roxanne furrowed her brows in concern. "I'm sorry – I shouldn't have said anything. Are we annoying you?"

"No, you're fine," May assured them. She was grateful for the company, since everyone else was staring at her like she was an escaped criminal. What's more, the two gym leaders seemed to be completely at ease with her, not at all put off by the fact that she'd run away for a few years.

"To be honest, I didn't think I'd see you guys here," she continued.

"Well, it's only natural that I come," Roxanne said. "I only live thirty feet away. But _this_ guy, on the other hand…"

"Where there's a party, there's Brawly," he said proudly, like going to parties was a talent. "I had to come when I heard Devon was throwing one. Of course, I was expecting strobe lights and wild dancing, but this is nice too, I guess."

May looked around the room. "Are there any other gym leaders here?"

Roxanne looked with her. "Flannery was supposed to come, but I don't see her yet. As for everyone else, I can't say, though I imagine they all have relatively busy schedules. How about your dad? Is he coming?"

May shook her head. "No. He becomes very introverted when it comes to these types of things."

"Good 'ol Norman," Brawly said with a shake of the head. Then he looked up and asked, "Why'd everybody stop talking?"

As if they were embarrassed for being called out, some of the onlookers turned away and sipped from their flutes of champagne. Most, however, continued to unashamedly stare in silence.

May fidgeted, feeling entirely responsible for ruining the party-like atmosphere. She looked behind her for Lisia and Brendan, but found that they had somehow disappeared.

She wanted to leave. She wanted to turn on her heel, walk back down the stairs, burst out the doors, and fly away on her pokémon. At the same time, she knew she needed to stay. She'd already made a coward of herself today, and she wasn't eager to do it again.

These people were actors, executives, and CEO's, celebrities in their own right, and yet they watched her warily as if they were a horde of weak pokémon about to be caught.

A memory swept her up then, one that was a few years old. She'd been wandering around the Safari Zone, intrigued by the aspect of catching pokémon without the use of her team. She'd been allowed to toss pokéblocks and creep closer to a potential catch, steadily gaining its trust in order to attain victory. All in all, it was a battle between only her and the wild pokémon.

The situation she was in now wasn't too different. She felt like she was back in the Safari Zone, able to use only her own wit to help her. Though there was no combat involved in a Safari Zone battle, it was still a battle nonetheless. And battling is what she did better than anybody else.

"I'm going to wander for a bit," she said to the gym leaders, excusing herself from the group.

She didn't walk far. There was a man about her age standing just a few feet away, and she figured she'd start with him.

She went over to stand a little more than an arm's length away. The man looked wildly around him, as if he were a cornered Magikarp and she, a hungry Sharpedo.

"Hello," she said simply, in her mind tossing a pokéblock at his feet.

He whipped his head back to face hers, seeming completely surprised that she'd actually spoken to him.

"Uh…" He coughed a few times. "H-hello, Miss Champion."

"Just May is fine," she said, creeping a few inches closer. "What's your name?"

He swallowed hard. "D-Derek, ma'am. I, uh, I work. I work here. At Devon."

"You work here?" she repeated. "Well, congratulations on the company's recent success."

"Th-thank you," he replied. "Though I can't take the credit. I'm just one of the many assistants."

"You're too modest," she said, throwing another pokéblock. "Success is due to the efforts of not just one person, but many. I'm sure you worked just as hard as the President himself to bring this company to where it is today."

Derek shuffled his feet. "You're too kind, Miss Champion."

She crept even closer. "Just May is fine," she said, repeating her earlier words.

Derek flushed and looked down, his eyes landing on her exposed leg before focusing on the floor.

May discreetly looked over his shoulder. About three-dozen people were still staring at her, though their looks seemed less wary and more curious. Perhaps they were beginning to realize that she too, was just a human being, with or without a billion cameras swarming her face.

"Well, Derek," she said. "I'm afraid I have to cut this conversation short. Nonetheless, it was a pleasure meeting you."

She moved on, stepping around him and looking for the next closest person. She risked a look behind her and saw that Derek had quickly collected a small crowd of men around him, all of them talking animatedly and playfully jabbing him in the ribs. It looked like her plan to dispel the dark cloud of tension was beginning to work, and if she'd been in the Safari Zone, she would have just gotten a successful catch.

She wandered around aimlessly, continuing to introduce herself to people who happened to be nearby. Soon enough, people stopped staring at her and started having conversations amongst themselves again. Still, not everyone she talked to was particularly friendly. Some questioned with bitter looks how she'd liked Kalos, one man asking altogether why she'd abandoned the country. In response, she could do nothing but proclaim that despite her long and unannounced absence, she was back.

During her meandering, she searched for Brendan and Lisia. She wondered if they'd left the party without her, and she felt a bit hurt.

But as she neared the back of the room, her gaze fixed on the stairs leading up to the third floor – President Stone's office. Judging from the red velvet rope that blocked the entrance, she didn't think that the party continued up another floor. It couldn't hurt to check, though.

After a quick glance to make sure nobody was watching, she stealthily slipped under the rope and bounced up the stairs.

Right away, it was obvious that the party did not continue here. The sound of talking and clinking glasses resonated behind her from the second floor, but there was nothing but silence on the third.

The lights were off up here, the room awash in an orange glow from the late afternoon sun. The long furniture cast even longer shadows, darkening the room in defined patches.

She wasn't alone, though. Standing in the corner, facing away from her, was a man.

It was the same exact figure she saw many years ago, when she'd climbed down to the lowest floor of Granite Cave. Like now, he'd somehow managed to appear refined, calculated, and calm, even when she couldn't see his face. He was the person she'd looked up to, learned from, grown close to. And despite it being years since she'd last seen him, she felt a pain in her chest, the same kind she'd felt when she found his letter.

She must have made a noise of some sort, a gasp maybe, because he turned around to look right at her.


	3. Help Me

**A/N I need to say a few things.**

 **I would have updated like a month ago, except my laptop burst into flames one night (I wish I was joking), and I ended up losing everything on my drive. I had to wait to buy another laptop (because I'm broke AF), and once I did, I had to rewrite almost this entire chapter. And because I pretty much rushed to get this done, it may not be perfect. I'll try to come back later to fix minor things, but please know that I am aware that this is not my finest work. Thank you.**

* * *

May was reminded of how she and Steven Stone had first met. In the same way it disconnected, their relationship had started with a letter. President Stone had given her the task of delivering one to Steven, and consequently, she'd wound up in the deepest parts of Granite Cave.

As simple as the errand had sounded coming out of Joseph Stone – _"I want to ask you to deliver this letter to a man named Steven. You should find him in Dewford"_ – it had been one of the tougher challenges she'd faced as a new trainer.

She and her Marshtomp had gotten into more than a few tussles with wild Makuhita and Onix, and the rocky terrain hadn't fared well with her unconfident, weak legs. Her hands and knees had quickly become raked with bloody scrapes, and the airless cave had made her body sleek with sweat. By the time she'd stumbled into the lowest level of the cave, she'd been ready to pass out.

But there he'd been, her goal, gazing up at a prehistoric cave drawing of the legendary Kyogre. His stance had been loose and casual, as if climbing to the bottom of a stuffy cave was something he did everyday. Even now, she still wondered how it could be that he hadn't had a single speck of dust on him.

She'd approached him, gasping for breath, and he'd turned around to face her for the very first time.

She'd shed blood, sweat, and even a few tears, to find Steven Stone. And somehow, in this very moment, she'd found him again.

He was still a breath-taking sight to behold, with his messy silver hair and eyes so pale a blue that they appeared white. But underneath the light of the setting sun, it looked like every part of him was awash in gold. He stood tall and refined, his very being exuberating an air of elegance. She couldn't believe that it was possible for him to have grown even more beautiful since she'd last seen him.

If people were pokémon, he'd be a Milotic in a world filled with Feebas.

She thought she'd gotten over her silly crush. It should have been easy. She'd neither seen nor spoken to him in four years. So why was her heart beating a million times per second?

"Um," was all she could say, stunned into a moment of stupidity.

He slowly turned away from the window he'd been looking out of until the whole front of his body was facing her. He stared, the shock on his face just as clear as hers, before his expression gave way to something resembling pain, as if someone had taken a hold of his heart and squeezed. She'd never seen him wear such an expression, and it both confused and frightened her.

He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. Like her, he appeared to be at a complete loss for words.

She found her bearings first. "I didn't think you'd be up here."

Her voice seemed to break whatever spell had been holding him. He laughed, though he sounded a bit breathless. "I can say the same for you."

The sound of his voice took her breath away. It sounded lovelier than she remembered, like a favorite song she hadn't heard in ages.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, hoping she didn't sound as winded as she felt. "I came up here to look for my friends… Am I intruding?"

"Not at all. You know I've always enjoyed your company, May." He was as kind as ever.

There was an awkward pause as she sifted through her mind for a proper response.

"How have you been?" was what she came up with.

"I've been well," he replied. "And yourself?"

She nodded. "Same."

Another pause.

The thought that she should move closer so that they didn't have to converse with a room's length between them crossed her mind, but her legs had turned into cement.

She felt like there were a million things to say to him, but she didn't know where to start. She hadn't even expected to see him ever again. She would have been less surprised to see the pokémon god Arceus standing in the President's office.

"I guess you're back from your soul-searching?" she asked, referencing the letter he'd left her.

She realized that there was a good chance he didn't even remember what he'd written, or remember that he'd even left her a letter at all.

But surprisingly enough, he did.

"Ah, that," he said without the slightest hesitation, as if he'd written the letter only yesterday. "Yes, I'm back. I actually returned about a year ago."

The surprise was clear on her face. She'd been under the impression that he'd be away for far longer.

"I thought you hadn't planned on returning home for some time," she said, once more referencing the letter.

"I hadn't," he admitted. "But then I'd heard that –" He abruptly stopped himself.

She looked at him.

He took a short moment to reconsider his words, and then said simply, "The world is much smaller than I'd originally thought."

"Oh," was her equally simple answer.

He didn't say anything, and it occurred to her that she should have said more.

"I mean… I'm glad you're back," she added.

"Are you?" he asked lightly, his tone tinged with good-natured amusement. "Because you don't seem to be, May."

"No, no, I am," she insisted, unable to detect the frivolity in his words. "I'm just… surprised to see you."

His smiled, the warm light from outside softening his features.

"That doesn't mean I'm not _happy_ to see you," she said, continuing to ramble like an idiot. "I mean, I _am_ happy to see you – how could I not be? It's been such a long time, and I really missed -" Much as he'd done before, she abruptly stopped herself.

Neither of them said anything then. He stood completely still, looking as if he'd stopped breathing, and her cheeks burned bright.

She didn't mean to cut herself off so suddenly, but what else could she have done? She didn't particularly want Steven to know that she'd missed him, or that she'd actually been affected by his leaving.

She could tell her parents, Brendan, and Lisia that she'd missed them, but not Steven. Steven was different. She had left everyone, but Steven had left her _._

"May," he said softly, all traces of humor now gone from his voice. "Please finish what you were going to say?"

His tone was quiet but expectant, as if he knew what she had almost said.

"It's nothing," she mumbled, feeling like a child caught in the act of doing something wrong. "Never mind."

"May," he said her name again, much softer than before. "Please."

It wasn't fair. How could she possibly deny him of just a few words when he said her name like that?

"I…" she started. "I was going to say that I, um…" She paused, dreading his reaction.

"Hm?" he gently prompted.

She cast her eyes downward. "I really missed you."

She meant to put some level of confidence behind her words, hoping that such a tone would feign the appearance of aloofness and evoke the illusion that she hadn't _actually_ missed him. But her voice failed her, coming out no louder than a shy whisper. And if that wasn't any indication of how flustered she felt, her fever-red blush certainly did the trick.

How she loathed herself.

He didn't say anything right away, and she was too embarrassed to look up to see if he'd heard her.

"Thank you," he said quietly. And then he started for her with long strides.

Her eyes shot up to watch as he swiftly crossed the room. She felt like she should say or do something as the distance between them shrank, but she didn't know what. Her heart rate picked up speed with every step that brought him closer to her, and she vaguely wondered if this was what Derek from Devon had felt when she'd approached him.

Steven stopped just inches away. Even in high heels, May stood a good few inches shorter than him, her eyes level to his mouth.

Wordlessly, he reached out, took her by the shoulders, and brought her to him. His hands were warm against her skin, leaving trails of heat as they slowly overlapped across her back.

"Steven…" She didn't know how to react. He'd never even touched her before, save for an accidental shoulder bump once or twice. Her face was on fire, and she was sure he could feel her heart pounding against his chest.

He tilted his head inward so that his lips were just an inch away from her ear.

"I really missed you, too."

She thought she imagined those words. They didn't make any sense. He'd never given any indication that he thought of her as more than a close acquaintance, but here he was saying that he hadn't just _missed_ her, but _really_ missed her.

She placed her hands against his chest and pushed her face back a bit. She needed to see his face, needed to know if she could trust those words.

His face was closer than expected, and she flinched in surprise.

He looked strangely desperate, like a man drowning in the sea, but he said nothing. She could feel his breath against her mouth, and she unthinkingly parted her lips. His eyes flashed to them for a quick second before shifting back up, holding her gaze with the pull of a thousand magnets. She was at his mercy, unable to do anything but stare back into those clear, alluring depths.

"Mr. Steven?" a voice resonated from the stairs.

Two seconds later, the blonde receptionist who'd been in the lobby appeared in the doorway.

"Mr. Steven, your father has arrived. He…" She trailed off at the sight before her. Her gaze flicked between May and Steven, perceived the close proximity of their faces, and she turned bright red and held her hands over her eyes. "I - I'm sorry for interrupting!"

May turned just as red as she realized what this scene must look like to an outsider, and she maneuvered herself out of Steven's arms. Steven, on the other hand, seemed to be completely at ease.

"Please don't misunderstand, Dinah," he said. "We're just two friends greeting each other for the first time in ages." His voice was so steady and composed that May wondered if he'd been completely unfazed by what had just gone down.

"O-Oh… I see," Dinah said, lowering her hands from her face. "I hope you can forgive me."

"No need to apologize. Now, what was that about my father?"

"Right. Your father is downstairs, and he's requested your presence." She looked at May. "He's also looking for you, Champion May."

"We'll be down momentarily," Steven said.

Dinah bowed once and left.

Steven looked back at May and offered his arm to her. "Shall we go?"

She nodded and stepped forward to take his arm. Now that they were alone again, she half-expected him to pull her into another embrace, but he simply turned to walk her down the stairs.

She couldn't help but think about what would have happened if Dinah hadn't interrupted. His face had been _so close._ Closer than she'd ever seen it.

She discreetly shifted her gaze so that she was watching him from the corner of her eye. He was staring straight ahead, his calm gaze revealing nothing. Perhaps she was reading too much into what happened between them, and it was really what Steven just told Dinah – a simple greeting between two old friends.

Dinah, who was waiting for them at the doorway, quickly unclipped the velvet rope to let them pass.

The party was in full swing. Everyone was chattering away, filling the room with the white noise of indistinguishable conversation. Servants carrying silver trays gingerly stepped between guests. One figure stood in the middle of the room, which May immediately saw was President Stone based on his purple, pinstriped suit. Steven walked toward him, dragging May behind him.

The president was talking to a group of suit-clad men but broke off mid-conversation when he spotted his son.

"There you are, Steven!" Joseph Stone exclaimed with a grin, walking over to clap a huge hand on his son's shoulder.

"Dad," Steven greeted.

"I didn't get to see you come in this morning. How are you holding up? You're not suffering from jetlag or anything, are you?"

May stole a quick glance at Steven. Jetlag?

"I'm fine, thanks," Steven replied.

"Good to hear, good to hear." Joseph turned to May. "And I hope our Champion is doing just as well?"

"Yes." May tiled her head in greeting. "It's nice to see you again, President Stone."

"The pleasure is all mine," he replied. "If I'd known the Champion was coming, I would have made more of an effort to be here on time."

"That's alright. We are here to celebrate you, not me," she said. "Congratulations on your company's recent success."

"Why, thank you," Joseph said. "Though the credit should really go to Steven here. For the past few months or so, he's been doing most of the work."

"I've hardly done anything but make a few suggestions," Steven interjected.

"And look at where those suggestions have gotten us," Joseph said, gesturing with a sweep of his arm at the many guests. "This is the most success we've had in years! It makes me want to retire early now that I know the future of the company is in good hands!" He released a few booming chuckles.

May felt Steven's arm tense ever so slightly, and she looked up curiously at him. His expression, however, remained unchanged.

"Mr. President?" a voice called over the noise.

Joseph looked over in time to see Dinah's blonde hair bobbing through the crowd, and then Dinah herself appeared at his side.

"Mr. President," she said again, "Mr. Grady has arrived."

Joseph looked at her like he didn't want to believe the words that had just come out of her mouth. She returned his look with one of sympathy.

"He's here… now?" he asked.

Dinah nodded once. "Yes."

Joseph took in a deep breath, held it in for a few seconds, and then released it slowly and heavily, letting his shoulders sag in the process.

"Alright. Where is he?" he asked.

"Downstairs, sir. He said he wanted to speak with you alone before coming up."

Steven gave his father a supportive smile. "It's best not to keep him waiting."

"I know, I know," Joseph said. Then, to May, "As much as I'd like to keep this conversation going, I really must see to one of my colleagues lest he think I'm deliberately ignoring him."

"It's fine," May said. "I'm sure we will run into each other again during the course of the night."

Joseph smiled once, and then he was gone, leaving Steven and May alone.

May looked up at Steven. "Why did your father ask you if you were feeling jetlagged?"

He glanced down at her. "He's referring to my flight that landed this morning. I just spent a week in Kalos, you see."

"Kalos?" she repeated, causing every head within a ten-foot radius to look over. "Why were you in Kalos?"

He hesitated for the briefest of moments. "I was looking for something."

"A rare stone?" she guessed.

He looked straight into her face. "No." He didn't elaborate.

Just then, a shrill, high-pitched voice pierced the low hum of party conversation. _"Steven!"_

Both he and May turned toward the noise.

Annette Harrison burst from the recesses of the crowd, the white feathers of her dress billowing out like an angry Swanna. It took her a few seconds to register Steven and May's linked arms, her brown eyes darkening to black, before she lunged towards Steven.

"Steven," she said again, her voice sounding like that of a whining child's. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

She pulled hard on his free arm. In his surprise, his hold around May loosened, and Annette used the opportunity to claim him all to herself. She dragged him away a few paces, grasping his arm possessively to her chest.

May was reminded of her mother's Glameow as Annette glanced her way, all lowered lids and mincing eyes. The actress's thin lips curved into a victorious, overly-bleached smile before she turned her attention back to the man she'd stolen, her Glameow eyes brightening with innocence.

"Steven," she trilled his name for what May thought to be the hundredth time.

"Hello, Annette," Steven said, all politeness. "How are you?"

Annette pushed out her high-glossed bottom lip in an over-exaggerated pout. "You're mean, Steven. I arrived like, an hour ago, and you didn't even bother to come say hi."

"I'm doing so now, aren't I?"

Annette sighed damsel-in-distress style. "I guess so. But where _were_ you? Isn't this, like, _your_ party?"

"My father's, actually."

The actress sighed again. "It still would have been nice for you to have been here earlier. I don't know anyone here, and I was so, so lonely…" With her free hand, she began to twirl the end of Steven's tie.

May, now awkwardly standing by herself, could only watch the scene before her in silence.

Were Steven and Annette dating? The thought shouldn't have surprised her as much as it did. Brendan had gotten himself a girlfriend during May's absence, and it was quite possible that Steven had done the same.

It certainly made sense if Annette Harrison was indeed his partner. Like him, she was both beautiful and successful, and she'd probably never run away from her own fame.

The more May watched the two together, the brighter they seemed to shine. Cast in the shadow of two suns, and she had to turn away.

As she was doing so, her gaze quickly caught onto two heads – one brown, the other mint green. Brendan and Lisia.

She looked once more at Steven. "I'm just gonna…" She gestured behind her to her friends, but neither Steven nor Annette seemed to notice her and she turned to leave.

She stepped quickly and quietly between partygoers, holding her skirt a few inches above the ground so that it wouldn't get accidentally stepped on. She was jostled a bit by unaware bodies, but she kept up her pace.

Soon enough, Lisia and Brendan came into view, their faces turned down at the refreshments table.

"Where have you been?" May demanded as she approached them. "I thought you guys left the party."

They turned around to face her, and she realized that she no longer wanted to know the fine details of where they'd been or what they'd been doing.

Lisia's pink lipstick was smeared all over the bottom half of her jaw as if someone had dragged her facedown through the room. Evidently, some of it had messily wound up on Brendan's mouth as well.

May was certainly feeling like a third wheel tonight.

"Oh, May," Lisia greeted. "Sorry we left – we just wanted to explore the building for a bit. It's our first time being here, and we were curious." Her tone was so steady and sure that May would have believed her if it wasn't for the new makeover.

"Um…" May looked down at the ground. "Razz Berry."

"What?" Lisia asked. "Oh, you mean the code word."

May nodded once.

Lisia began combing her fingers through her hair. "What's wrong? Is it my hair?"

May looked back up. "Your lipstick is smudged." Then, turning to Brendan, "Yours is, too."

The lovers looked at each other and simultaneously gasped.

"Brendy-boo!" Lisia exclaimed. "You look like a clown!"

"So do you!"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lisia whined.

"I didn't know! The room was dark and –" He stopped suddenly and glanced anxiously at May. "I mean… I guess the food was so good that we, uh, we –"

May raised a hand to stop him. "It's fine."

Lisia began rubbing at her mouth with the back of her hand. "Better?" she asked, moving her hand away for May to inspect.

The action had only made the smudge worse, spreading it out like an angry, pink rash.

"It's, um…" May looked down again. "Razz Berry."

"Ugh!" Lisia turned to frantically search over the table. "No napkins? Seriously? This is the biggest party of the year and they don't even have napkins?" She looked up and trotted over to the nearest server. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Downstairs in the lobby," he replied, his gaze flicking between her eyes and her messy lips.

"Excellent." Lisia kept her head down as she bounded off for the stairs. Brendan followed, covering his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket.

"Wait," May called after them, not wanting to be left alone again. She took a step to follow.

"Are you Champion May?"

May stopped and turned around.

"Yes," she answered.

"I thought so," the man said. "Oh, but where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Evan Grady, and I'm the Vice President of Silph Co. I'm afraid our President was unable to make the party tonight, so I have come in his stead."

Grady? The same Grady that President Stone so clearly did not want to greet?

"I see," May said. She held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"The honor is all mine." He took her hand.

"I'd like to congratulate Silph Co. on its recent success," she continued. "I think it's wonderful that two companies from different regions have partnered together."

Grady smiled, his grip around her hand tightening. "So do I."

Evan Grady was skinny and tall in physique. His forehead appeared large due to a harshly receding hairline, and his face and features were pinched and narrow.

Although his words reflected a well-mannered man, May began to feel a bit unsettled. For one, he still hadn't let go of her hand, and his grip had become unnecessarily strong - he was nearly cutting off the circulation of blood flow to her fingers. More than that, his eyes seemed to glint with mischief, curved and small like those of a Seviper. She half-expected a two-pronged tongue to dart out of his mouth.

"I hope Hoenn is treating such an esteemed visitor to the highest regard?" May asked. She casually moved a step back, and he finally released her hand. Her fingers throbbed, and she fought the urge to look down to see if they had turned purple.

"Why, yes," Grady answered. "This nation is absolutely lovely. I've never seen so much water in my life."

May tried to smile, but as usual, it came out as a grimace. "I'm glad you like it."

"But may I be a bit frank for a short moment?" he asked.

"Of course," May said, though she guessed that whatever he had to say couldn't be good.

"I've been hearing something quite…" He took a moment to contemplate the right word. "Disturbing."

"Disturbing? And what might that be?"

He looked glad that she asked. "I've been hearing that the Hoenn Champion is a coward."

May stopped breathing.

He smiled at her expression. "They're saying that you voluntarily ran away from your post, and that this is the first time you've been seen in two whole years. But that can't be right, can it? No Champion would ever do such a careless thing. Right?"

May was right to have felt uneasy around him. His tone had become taunting and hostile, and his smile had widened with poorly disguised malice.

"Well," she began, "while it is true that I left my position unannounced, I can assure you that I did not mean for –"

"So it's true," he said, cutting her off. He didn't sound too surprised. "You really did it."

She swallowed hard. "Yes."

"I have to ask," he began. "What on earth was going through your mind? You had a duty to stay around in case something was to threaten the people, but instead, you ran away for a prolonged vacation in Kalos. Completely irresponsible, if you ask me."

She couldn't argue back. Excluding the Kalos bit, Grady was right. She'd been a coward. She'd been irresponsible.

"I know," she said, but her throat had become so dry that she didn't think he heard her.

He kept going. "What made you finally decide to come back, anyway? The party, of all things?" He shook his head. "How childish."

She knew she'd been childish, too. How could she not? She'd only been a child at the time of her disappearance, and children do childish things.

She opened her mouth to say something, to agree with his accusations, when a new voice chimed in.

"Irresponsible? Childish? I hope you're not talking about May."

Both Grady and May looked over at the newcomer.

"Steven," Grady said in greeting. "You're looking well."

Steven stopped to stand beside May. He gave a small smile, though it appeared brittle and forced. "Thank you. You're looking well yourself, Grady."

Grady mustered an equally forced smile. "Why, thank you."

Steven glanced once at May before turning his attention back to Grady. "May I ask what's going on here?"

"Just making light conversation with Hoenn's Champion."

"It certainly didn't sound that way to me." Steven's tone was light, but the hard look in his eyes gave his words a cautionary edge.

Grady held his arms out. "Come now, Steven. Surely, you must also think that your Champion's actions have been utterly despicable in recent years."

Steven's eyes flashed. "I ask that you choose your words carefully, Grady. I'll not have you insult my friend right in front of me."

"Oh, do forgive me," Grady said, though his tone sounded far from apologetic. "I was not made aware of the relationship between you and Champion May. Still, you must understand where I'm coming from."

"I'm afraid I don't."

The conversation felt charged with tension. May could almost see a current of electricity running between the men's gazes on each other.

Grady sighed like an exhausted parent. "It's as I said before. To disappear for two years is one thing, but to do so as the nation's _Champion_?" He shook his head. "It's a wonder how someone capable of such irresponsibility even became Champion in the first place."

"With all due respect," Steven began, "I believe your impression of May is highly flawed. I've known her for a while now, and nothing you have said so far accurately describes what she's really like."

"Really?" Grady asked. "Do you mean to say that your Champion's disappearance did not shake you to the very core?"

Steven's gaze seemed to focus on something distant. "It did," he admitted quietly.

Grady flashed a victorious smile. "Then –"

"But that is not to say that I think her irresponsible, because I don't," Steven finished. His words hardened. "I also don't think her childish, or despicable, or anything else you might have said to her. She is Champion because she is unparalleled in terms of not only strength, but also resolve, and her intentions have always been good."

May fidgeted uncomfortably. Steven had way too much faith in her.

"Hmm." Grady held his chin contemplatively. "Am I to trust the opinion of one who _lost_ the title of Champion to the very person in question?"

That struck a chord within May. It was one thing for Grady to criticize her, but an entirely different thing for him to criticize one of her friends. Her hand instinctively reached for the small bag hanging against her side, where her team waited to be summoned.

But as usual, Steven seemed at ease.

"You're free to trust whoever you want," he said, "but it might do you good to take my word. My intuition has often proven true."

"Has it?" Grady inquired, his tone more amused than curious.

"Well, it certainly did after I suggested that a partnership between our respective companies would expand both sides' gross margins from twenty to thirty percent." Steven paused. "Unless, that is, you disagree?"

May, unskilled in the language of business, found his words extremely difficult to follow. Grady, on the other hand, seemed to understand completely. His smug smile straightened out into a taut line, and his curved eyes narrowed into slits. He clearly wasn't used to being on the losing side of an argument.

Steven calmly gazed back, silent and unflinching in his stance. May anticipated another round of arguments to ensue, but surprisingly, Grady started to laugh.

He bent over and released a few raspy chuckles. "I can't argue with that." There was an undertone of annoyance in his voice, but his eyes were wickedly amused, as if he couldn't help but be entertained. Grinning, he straightened up. "You certainly know how to use words to get your way, Steven Stone."

Steven smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Of course. I wouldn't mean it any other way." He said this with a coy twist to his mouth, and May wondered if he was actually being sarcastic. He turned to her. "Well, Champion May. You sure are lucky to have a friend like Steven to back you up."

May nodded, her eyes widening in surprise. She didn't think he'd bother to address her again. "Y-yeah…"

He reached out to take her hand in his, and she fought the urge to draw back. His grip was firm, but thankfully, not nearly as much as it had been before. Still, she tensed.

As if sensing her apprehension, he smiled wide. "I look forward to getting to know you better, seeing as my colleague here –" His gestured towards Steven " - insists that I drew a very false impression of you."

May said, "Of course," though she didn't particularly want to spend any more time with Evan Grady than she already had.

He released her hand. "Well, then. I suppose I'll take my leave now…" With that, he turned on his heel and skirted off into the crowd, vanishing just as suddenly as he had appeared.

May felt as though some big fiasco just happened, but nobody seemed to notice. People were still engaged in their own conversations, oblivious to the heated conversation that had just taken place.

Steven released a deep breath and turned his attention to May. "Are you alright?" The hardness was gone from his eyes.

"I'm fine."

"I'm sorry you had to listen to that," he said, looking back at the spot where Grady had just disappeared. "That man is always trying to provoke the people around him. I fell into his trap today, but I'm impressed that you were able to keep your composure."

May shrugged. "I didn't really have anything to say." She scanned the room to see if Lisia and Brendan had made their way back to the party.

"Not even to defend yourself?" His voice was quiet, and May almost didn't hear him through the drone of a dozen other conversations.

She turned to face him. He looked troubled.

"I can certainly understand why Grady said the things that he did," was May's matter-of-fact response.

"How?" Steven asked, his voice still quiet.

Her answer came quick. "What Grady said about me was true."

Steven stared at her with wide eyes. When he didn't say anything, May resumed looking for her friends.

"You're wrong," he said finally.

May turned back to him. "I'm not."

"You are," he insisted. "Grady did nothing but list a number of bad qualities that I don't ever recall you showcasing, not even once."

May pursed her lips in disagreement.

His eyes lightened with amusement at her expression, but his words remained insistent. "You don't believe me?"

Ignoring the question, she began looking around the room again.

"I forgot to thank you for sticking up for me," she said. "I really appreciate it."

He watched her in quiet consideration, fully aware of her evasion.

A few feet away, Lisia's green hair bobbed through the crowds.

"Oh." May blinked. "There's my friend – I should probably go see if she's okay…"

She got in several steps before he stopped her.

He did nothing but touch her arm. She could have easily brushed him off, but she'd become rooted in place, stopping as suddenly as if she'd reached the end of an invisible leash. His touch sent a trail of heat blazing along her skin, hollowing her out both inside and out with fire, and her heart skyrocketed in her chest. This feeling was just as familiar as when he'd touched her upstairs, but no less startling.

She thought herself pathetic, being this affected by a man she hadn't seen or spoken to in years prior to today.

He leaned in closer. "Please believe me."

"Why should I?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice steady.

She didn't mean it maliciously. It was a very valid question in her mind. Why should she believe that Steven knew her better than she knew herself?

"Because it might do you good to take my word," he said, his voice like silk, and she recognized these words as the same ones he'd said to Grady. He ducked his head so that his mouth was just inches away from her ear. "My intuition has often proven true."

She shuddered at the feel of his breath against her skin.

These same words, when spoken to Grady, had sounded firm and assertive like a challenge. The way Steven was saying them now, however, sounded tender and soft like a plea.

What was he trying to do to her?

She couldn't bring herself to look up into his face. She was all too aware of the closeness of their bodies, of the flush creeping up her face. To prying eyes it simply looked like he was telling her a secret, but she felt the moment to be far more intimate than what any secret could bring.

She stood stock-still, unsure of how she was supposed to respond. This man could take away her words as easily as anyone could breathe.

"May!"

May looked up. Lisia was waving at her from across the room, Brendan at her side.

She stepped away from Steven. "I should probably go see what they want…"

She didn't look at him as she left his side. He didn't try to stop her again, and his hand fell easily from her arm.

She paced quickly across the room. She almost looked back to see if Steven was still there, but decided that she'd given him far too much control over her and kept walking.

"Lisia. Brendan," May greeted as she reached her friends. She was relieved to see that they'd managed to successfully wipe the obnoxiously pink lipstick stains off their faces.

Lisia peered inquisitively at May. "What were you and Steven talking about?"

"Just… nothing." May didn't know what to tell her.

Lisia and Brendan looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

May stared at them. "What?"

They turned back to her, grinning.

"Razz Berry!" Lisia exclaimed.

May's returning look was blank.

"Your face is red," Brendan clarified. "Like, _really_ red."

May felt her face heat up even more, and her friends laughed.

"Well, at least _you_ guys are looking better," she said in an attempt to divert the conversation.

Lisia smiled even wider. "Just in time, too. It's almost six – this party is going to get _a lot_ bigger."

May released the smallest of groans. She'd forgotten that only a small percentage of invitees had been able to arrive at four. The majority of that percentage would be upon this place in – she reached into her bag to check her nav – seventeen minutes.

"I might go," she found herself saying.

"Go?" Brendan repeated disbelievingly. "What do you mean, go? The party hasn't even started!"

"I know but…" She raked her mind for an excuse. "It's already been close to two hours since we arrived."

Her friends stared blankly at her as if to say, _So?_

"Besides," she continued. "My goal in coming here was to let the public know that I've returned, and I think I've accomplished that."

"I mean, I guess we can't stop you," Brendan said. "But are you sure you really want to leave the _biggest event of the year?"_

"Yes."

Brendan winced at how quick her reply came.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Lisia asked, though she anxiously bit her lip, and May could tell that she didn't actually want to leave.

"No, that's okay," May said, and the relief on her friends' faces was palpable. "You guys stay so you can tell me all about it later."

Brendan grinned, only too eager to comply. "Will do!"

May walked across the room as quickly and quietly as she could. Her arrival had drawn quite a bit of attention, and she was not eager to see if her departure would elicit the same kind of response.

Luckily, nobody seemed to realize that the Champion was leaving for the rest of the night. The glances May got her way were brief and unconcerned, and she easily made it down the stairs.

The lobby was considerably quiet, and the few hints of conversation that could still be heard from upstairs sounded muffled and subdued as if coming from underwater.

May let herself relax, feeling as though she could take her first deep breath of the night. The party hadn't gone as smoothly as she'd hoped, and she was relieved to finally get away.

"Um… did you need something, Champion May?"

May looked up. Dinah stood behind the front counter.

"I'm fine, thank you," May said. "I'm actually on my way out."

A combination of surprise and disappointment flickered on the receptionist's face. "So soon?"

"Yes. But I appreciate you letting me in without an invitation. Thank you, Dinah."

Dinah's mouth twisted as if she was about to cry. "It was my pleasure, Champion May."

May looked toward the front entrance. She could just feel the paparazzi waiting outside in much the same way her Swampert could sense an approaching storm.

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

Her arrival had been pathetic. She wanted her departure to be anything but.

She looked once more at Dinah. "Would you mind telling President Stone that I thank him for having me, and that I had a wonderful time?"

Dinah nodded eagerly. "Of course."

May hesitated before speaking again. "And… could you tell Steven that… I hope to see him soon?" She knew she should have at least said goodbye to him, but she'd been focused on making sure that her leaving went as unnoticed as possible.

"Of course," Dinah said again.

"Thank you." Squaring her shoulders, May walked outside.

The masses of people had only intensified since she'd arrived. Bodies clustered as close to the building's entrance as the red velvet rope would allow, and some even held large, handmade signs that displayed her name like advertisements on billboards. They screamed at her with everything they had.

Camera flashes fired off like bullets from a gun. She blinked in rapid succession, spots of light and dark dancing across her vision. Her arm began to rise to cover her face, but she forced it back down. Let everyone get a good look at her face.

She stood there, half deaf and half blind, for what seemed like forever. She didn't even realize that she'd been holding her breath until she starting gasping for air.

She felt like a frayed cord of rope, about to snap at any second.

Make peace with the fame, she thought. Make peace with the fame, make peace with the fame, _make peace with the fame._

She counted to ten in her head before making any move to leave. Lowering her eyes to the ground, she surveyed the area. There was just enough space on the path to summon her Salamence.

She reached into her bag and pulled his pokéball out.

"Go, Salamence."

He emerged with a roar, and the cheering and the flashes only increased with his arrival.

Salamence squinted against the brightness and trembled with rage. He flexed his wings, spreading them out until their tips nearly touched the crowds on either side of the path.

May patted him reassuringly on the neck, and he retracted his wings back into his body.

She slowly climbed onto his back, making sure to keep the slit in her dress at a modest width. The last thing she wanted to do was reveal too much of her skin in front of all these cameras.

The moment she was secure in place, Salamence rose to the air, eager to get as far away from Rustboro as he possibly could. His powerful wings beat heavy gusts of air into the crowd, and a few of the handmade signs were sent flying.

Now above the buildings, May looked down. The cameras were still trained on her, angled up to the sky, and the ground sparkled with their flashes.

Salamence began south for Littleroot.

"No, Salamence!" May made a wild grab for his neck and swerved him east. She would not lead the masses to her parents.

"Once we're out of sight, we'll swerve back home," she said to him.

He hummed in agreement and started off in the new direction.

They flew quickly, gliding right out of Rustboro and into Route 116. It was almost comical how vacant it was with the bustling city so close.

They reached Rusturf tunnel when Salamence stopped midflight. He hovered in place and sniffed the air.

"Salamence?"

He turned back toward the direction they had come from and bristled. May felt her heart sink at what she saw.

Two cameramen, one on a Pidgeot and the other on a Staraptor, were flying towards them.

Salamence released an earth-shattering roar. The bird pokémon faltered in fright, but their trainers pushed them forward. Nothing would keep them from snapping a few more photos of the Champion.

This was not the first time that the paparazzi had followed her into the air. Once, they had chased her across the entire region.

But she was different than the girl who'd run away. She was the woman who'd come back.

May directed Salamence back onto their route.

"I have an idea," she said low in his ear. "But I'm not sure if it will work."

Salamence looked back at her and tilted his head in acknowledgement.

The clouds, tinged red by the setting run, were thick and low today. Perfect for her plan.

She slowed the pace, waiting for the cameramen to get a little closer.

"Champion May!" the one on the Staraptor called. "Where are you going? Planning on disappearing again?"

"Look here, Beautiful," the other one said, his camera up to his face. "Give me a smile, yeah? Or how about you show off that sexy dress of yours?"

They were close enough, she decided.

She tapped twice into her pokémon's neck, signaling him to swerve straight up into a ninety-degree angle. She heard the men voice their surprise as she disappeared into the clouds.

She and Salamence burst through the other side, their skin damp with water vapors. The clouds now hovered below them like a fluffy carpet.

"Go, Salamence!" she commanded, lightly tapping her legs into his sides.

He pumped his wings as hard as he could, shooting back west. May kept one arm around his neck and turned her upper body around, watching and waiting.

They got a good distance away before she saw the orange beaks of the men's pokémon breach through the clouds.

She signaled Salamence to veer down, and they shot back through the clouds. She pointed for him to land at the nearest clearing.

Salamence flattened his wings against his sides, and they hurtled toward the ground like an earthbound meteor. Their speed made May's eyes tear up a bit, and she held onto her pokémon as tightly as she could.

They hit the ground hard, whipping up a billow of dirt, and May's teeth rattled at the impact.

She quickly looked back up to the sky. If her plan worked, then the men would not have seen her weave back underneath the clouds.

A minute passed. The men did not follow her to the ground.

She let herself relax. Salamence drooped his head, exhausted, and heaved in deep, rumbling breaths.

She stroked his neck. "You did well. Thank you."

She looked around. To her surprise, they had landed right in front of Petalburg's gym.

Not a single person was out in the small town. It was a stark contrast to the more populated Rustboro, for which May was grateful.

She dismounted Salamence, retrieved his pokéball from her bag, and called him back before walking up to the gym. Perhaps she'd see if her father was around.

She waited for the gym's automatic doors to open. When they didn't, she pressed her face up to the glass. The lights were off.

She sighed, more relieved than disappointed. Her father must have gone home. He usually didn't return until well after dark, so it was nice to see that he was at home with her mother.

Nearby, a front door opened, and May scrambled to get Salamence back out.

"May?"

She froze. She recognized that voice.

"Wally…"

Wally stood in the doorway of his house, staring at her with the same innocent eyes he'd always had.

"I... I saw you on the Rustboro news…"

His voice sounded so timid, so faint, but deeper than the last time May had heard it.

She walked over to him. "Yeah…"

Wally had matured into a young, skinny man. His round, boyish face had narrowed, and his shoulders had broadened quite a bit.

But the paleness of his skin and the circles under his eyes were very unsettling. He grasped the door with both hands as if using it to hold himself up.

She never knew what illness he suffered from. She only knew that right after she'd battled him for the last time, his health had quickly deteriorated. It was like his illness had waited for him to reach his peak before striking him down.

It was unfair, she thought, how someone who'd been so passionate about training his pokémon could be forced to stay in bed.

She was overcome with sadness at the way he couldn't meet her eyes, at the way his shoulders were hunched forward. He'd appeared so confident at Victory Road, completely unlike the boy who stood before her now.

His eyes flicked up, and then back down again. "You look so different, May."

She tried to keep the sadness from her voice. "I was thinking the same thing about you."

He shuffled his feet against the ground. May watched him, her chest tightening.

"How was it?" he asked.

She swallowed, wishing he'd meet her eyes. "How was what?"

"The Devon party."

"Oh. Um, it was all right. I left super early, though. Parties aren't really my thing."

He picked up his head and finally looked at her. He smiled. "Same here."

Overhead, a flock of Wingull flew by, their cries carried far by the nearby sea.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," Wally said, his voice growing thin.

She realized that she'd never been that great a friend to him. In the numerous times they'd battled, she'd never let him win, not even once. She'd been so focused on being the best that the thought of allowing this sickly boy to experience just one victory never occurred to her. How greedy, selfish, and _stupid_ she'd been.

And after she'd found out that his health had worsened, she never came to visit. She'd told herself that going to see him would only put him in the crossfire of the paparazzi, but she could have at least called him to make sure he was okay.

He had every right to hate her, to slam the door in her face and never speak to her again. But instead, he stood before her, his eyes filled with all the fondness in the world.

"I have been absent for a while, haven't I?" she asked softly. "Forgive me, Wally."

He waved a hand in front of him. "Don't apologize, May."

He swayed a little on his feet, and his hand shot back up to grasp the door.

May gasped. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes." He smiled, trying lighten the mood. "I just got a little dizzy, is all. Nothing to worry about."

"Are… are your parents home?"

He shook his head. "Not right now."

She could hardly conceal her surprise. They left their sick son home _alone?_

He read her expression. "Don't worry – they'll be back first thing tomorrow morning. They actually wanted to bring me, but I told them I would be fine by myself."

"Where did they go?"

"Lavaridge. To buy… medicine." He said _medicine_ like it was something to be embarrassed about.

"Oh." May blinked. "Well, that's good."

"Yeah…"

The sun sank beneath the tree line, turning the sky a strange combination of magenta and violet. It would be dark soon.

"Would… would you like to come in?" Wally asked, taking a small step inside the house. "It's been so long since I last saw you, and I, um, would like to know more about what you've been up to…"

May didn't see why not. It was still early in the evening, and she really didn't like the fact that Wally was in his house by himself.

"Sure," she said. "Though I haven't been up to much."

Wally gave a small smile. "Same here."

* * *

Wally's eyes snapped open.

He looked wildly around, his mind hazy with sleep and eyes disoriented by the dark. His hand reached out and fumbled for the lamp, and a small pocket of light appeared in his living room.

His eyes immediately flashed to May, who was still sitting next to him on the sofa, her eyes closed.

Wally reached into his pocket and pulled out his nav. It was 11:17 at night. Somewhere during their conversation, they'd both fallen asleep, and for nearly five hours. What had they been talking about? He tried to think, but his head grew light and he fell back, dizzy, against the cushions.

He turned his head to stare at May. He'd meant it when he told her that she looked different. She'd grown in the way that was normal for people their age. She looked healthy. She looked beautiful.

She looked _strong._

He lifted one hand in front of his face and watched it as it trembled.

He grit his teeth, trying to keep his tears from spilling over.

 _Ring! Ring!_

Wally jumped at the sound.

 _Ring! Ring!_

He looked down to his left. It was coming from May's bag. Her pokénav, probably.

 _Ring! Ring!_

"Um… May?" He gently touched her arm.

She shouldered away his hand, still asleep. His fingers curled, unsure of what to do.

 _Ring! Ring!_

He had to answer it, he decided. What if it was her parents?

He opened the bag's mouth and placed his hand inside, carefully feeling for the nav.

His hand paused on something. It was round, but slightly bigger than a pokéball. It had been cold when he'd merely grazed it, but had grown warm, was still growing warm, in his palm.

He looked at May. Surely she wouldn't mind if he took just a peek.

He lifted his hand and brought the strange item to his face.

It was a magnificent blue orb.

It had a dozen facets carved into it, almost like a diamond. He held it closer to the lamp, and blue light speckled across the room like the most beautiful rainstorm.

He tilted it, mesmerized, and the light shifted in response, a blue vortex in his grip.

And then the orb began to pulse. It sent vibrations running through his bones, shaking his body with the ferocity of a lightning bolt. Heat flowed from his heart and into his blood, trickling out until every inch of him was filled with lava. His eyes rolled back into his head until there was nothing but white left in the sockets.

But it didn't feel bad. No, it felt _amazing_.

The orb was alive. It was calling him.

It promised to cure him.

It promised to give him his life back.

It promised him power.

And he answered it with everything he had.

* * *

May woke up.

She blinked in confusion, her eyelids still heavy with sleep. This wasn't her home.

And then she remembered. Wally had invited her inside. He'd told her about his cousin, Wanda, and how she'd just gotten married a few months ago. May had closed her eyes to rest them for a short second, but had embarrassingly fallen asleep. She supposed that was to have been expected. She'd hardly gotten any sleep yesterday night.

She stretched her arms over her head before reaching in her bag to dig out her pokénav. The time read 11:26 p.m.

She frowned when she saw that she had three missed calls from her mother. Caroline was probably a nervous wreck right now.

She looked around her. The dim lighting of the nearby lamp cast the room in a dull yellow light. Outside, a fierce gust of wind rattled the windowpanes against the glass.

May stood up. "Wally?"

There was no answer. Had he gone to bed?

A loud _thump_ echoed throughout the house, and she quickly zeroed in on the source.

The front door swung open on its hinges. As the wind picked up, it thudded into the wall again.

She walked over and began to close it. Then she stopped and jerked it wide open again.

There, standing a few feet away with his back to her, was Wally.

"Wally?" she called.

He didn't answer. He stood completely still, statue-like, and continued to stare out into nothing, his arms limp against his side. As another gust of wind picked up, May worried that he would fall over, but he remained standing.

"Wally?" she called again. "What are you doing out here?"

Again, no answer.

She moved toward him, not even bothering to put her heels back on. The wind immediately whipped her hair and dress into a frenzy.

"Are you feeling unwell?" she asked. "Do you need me to do anything?"

She stopped just behind him and reached out to touch his shoulder.

Then her back hit the side of the house, and she crumpled to the ground.

A shooting stab of pain cut into the base of her spine, and she would have cried out if the impact hadn't knocked the wind right out of her. She curled around her stomach, feeling as though her chest was collapsing in on itself.

Her lungs contracted, struggling to work properly again. The tiniest sip of air slipped down her burning throat, and she was finally able to cough.

She mustered the strength to raise herself on one elbow. With her free arm, she reached behind her to touch the tender part of her back. Her hand came back blood-free, but that didn't make the injury hurt any less.

She was able to pull in some deeper breaths, and her mind struggled to make sense of the situation. Had she been _thrown?_

"What…" she croaked. She looked up. And then felt her eyes go wide.

Wally had finally turned around.

Lines of blue light snaked up his arms and bare feet, all seeming to connect to the blue ring in the middle of his chest that glowed bright through his thin, cotton shirt. The light seemed to be coming from within him, as if someone had embedded glow sticks underneath his skin. His eyes emitted the same blue light, shining like two flashlights in the dark, and he glared at her with all the wildness of a thousand untamed pokémon.

His arm was still extended from when he'd thrown her back, his fingers curled out like claws.

Slowly and shakily, she pulled herself to her feet.

"Wally." Her voice shook. "What happened to you?"

His lips curled back over his teeth, revealing long, sharp canines. A low hum rumbled in his chest, the sound of rolling thunder.

She stared in horrified silence. She couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. She didn't _want_ to.

He took a step toward her.

Her body reacted faster than her mind. Her arm instinctively flew into her bag, hand grabbing her Swampert's pokéball.

She threw it. "Go, Swampert!"

Her pokémon emerged and landed lightly on his feet. He gazed steadily at his opponent, taking in the situation much calmer than his trainer had, before crouching into his battle position. May could always count on him to keep a clear head.

Wally mirrored the pokémon, moving to crouch on all fours. Another growl ripped from his throat before he charged forward, nails digging into the earth. Swampert jumped back just as a pair of snapping fangs made a grab for him.

He looked back at May, waiting for orders.

But she didn't know what to do. As Champion, she was supposed to save her people, not attack them, and it was possible that her sweet, frail friend was somewhere inside this fanged, glowing _thing._

"Please, Wally," she begged. "I know you're in there. Please, let me help you."

There was no indication that he'd heard, or even understood, what she'd said. He dug his nails deeper into the ground, eyes feral and unfeeling in their glowing depths.

Still looking back at her, Swampert growled softly, urging her to act. And still, she hesitated.

Wally seized the opportunity and launched forward.

His body collided with the pokémon, and May had just enough time to leap out the way before Swampert came crashing into the house.

The sound was like that of an explosion. Dust and debris erupted from the house in one massive cloud. Chunks of plaster fell heavy to the ground like hail. The glass windows shattered into a million pieces. One stray shard cut the side of May's face, but she hardly felt it.

"Swampert!" She ran into the wreckage where the left side of the house once stood. She coughed and squinted against the dust.

She spotted her pokémon half-buried among the rubble. She moved to him, slicing the bottom of her right foot along the way, and knelt to his side.

She gingerly touched his face. "Are you okay, Swampert?"

He rumbled in response, but May could tell he was in bad shape. His blue body was raked with cuts, some with pieces of glass still stuck in them. She heaved a piece of wallboard off the lower half of his body, and gasped when she saw that the tip of his dorsal fin was bent over.

He made a move to stand, but his arms tired out and he fell back against the ground.

Her Swampert, the strongest pokémon in the region, had been crushed in just one hit. _One hit._

"Hold on," she said in a trembling voice, frantically searching her bag for a potion. "I'll fix this. I swear I'll fix this."

A growl tore through the wind. May slowly turned her head.

Wally stood no more than ten feet away. He stared down at her, his glowing eyes and skin made brighter by the darkness of the broken house. The wind whistled, and thick, brown dust pooled at his feet like fog. He looked like something straight out of a nightmare.

Swampert growled and tried to stand again.

May was frozen, her mind blank. She hadn't felt this helpless since before she became the strongest trainer in the region.

Was this the end for her?

Wally crouched, preparing to leap, and May could only watch, the blood from the cut on her face dribbling down like a tear.

But he turned ever so slightly to the left, and launched himself into the trees.

May didn't react right away. She sat completely still, convinced that he would be back in the very next second to end her.

The wind kept going, hollowing out the house with air.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, but her Swampert's rumble of pain finally stirred her into action.

She stood up, putting more weight on her uninjured foot, and returned Swampert to his pokéball.

"Rest up, Swampert."

And then she ran out and dove right into the trees.

"Wally!" she called, her arms out in front of her to block the many branches. "Wally!"

She had to find him. Even though he terrified her to the core. If he could defeat the Champion in one hit, there was no telling what he could do to anyone else.

The cut on her foot burned against the leafy underbrush, but she continued to run as fast as she could. A stray branch snagged the edge of her skirt, but she yanked it free.

She ran out into Petalburg Woods. "Wally!"

The only sound was the rustle of leaves.

"Wally!" she tried again. "Please…!"

She pushed herself into a sprint again, but her bloody foot was too torn up to support her any longer and she sank to the ground.

Her hands balled into fists. What was she supposed to do?

She dug into her bag as if its contents could offer a solution. Her Salamence's pokéball came into view, but flying was out of the question. If Wally was still somewhere within the trees instead of on a cleared route, she'd never be able to spot him from the air.

She grabbed her pokénav and began to dial the number for Hoenn's police department, but stopped when she realized how just ridiculous she was being. The police relied on _her_ to be the last line of defense. It did not work the other way around.

She was dialing another number before she realized it. She still knew all the digits, even after she'd been forced to throw away her previous nav in the wake of her fame. Her thumb hit the _Call_ icon.

It rang three times before he picked up.

"Hello?"

She almost cried. "Steven…"

"May?"

"Steven," she said again, her voice growing a bit hysterical. "Help me."

* * *

 **A/N Again, not my finest work. Please bear with me.**


	4. A Man of Silver and Gold

May couldn't stop stuttering.

She was trying so hard to tell Steven what had happened, but it was difficult to form words from her jumbled mess of a mind.

"W-Wally… H-he was… I don't know what h-happened, b-but he was… and then he a-attacked me and…" Her voice was growing thinner and thinner, threatening to break beneath her rising hysteria.

Steven said something, but she couldn't hear him. Her heart was pounding too hard.

"What?" she asked.

"Shhh. Try to relax." His voice, calm and steady, grounded her in place like an anchor. She tried to do as he told and forced herself to suck in a couple of deep breaths.

"That's right," he said, coaching her through the phone. "It's okay."

He let her take in a few more breaths before he spoke again.

"Now," he said, "tell me what happened. Slowly."

She swallowed. "My friend, Wally… Something must have happened to him. He wasn't himself."

"In what ways?"

"He…" May shuddered, recalling the feral look in his eyes. "He wasn't acting human. It was like he'd become possessed. He had fangs, and there was light coming from his skin." She paused, realizing how absurd she sounded. "Please believe me."

"I believe you," Steven promised. "Where is Wally now?"

"I don't know. I can't find him."

"You said before that he attacked you. Are you hurt?"

She looked down at her injured foot. "I'm bleeding a little, but I don't think it's anything too serious."

"Bleeding?" Steven was silent for a moment. Then he asked, "Where are you?"

"Petalburg Woods."

"Hold on. I'll be right there."

May felt herself relax. Steven was coming. He would take care of everything.

The wind intensified then, blowing her hair into her face. As she reached up to brush it away, her hand grazed the cut on the side of her face. It was still wet.

She held her fingers in front of her eyes. They were dark with her blood. Burgundy under the darkness of the night.

Overhead, a layer of clouds passed by to reveal the full moon. It was high in the sky and bright, basking everything underneath it in a muted glow. The burgundy of May's blood became bright red.

Her fingers began to tremble. There was more blood than she'd thought.

She wiped her hand against the grass and held it up again. It was still red.

Her trembling intensified. She didn't like the red. It reminded her of her own weakness.

"May?" Steven asked. "Are you still there?"

She remembered how Steven had looked at the party. How he'd been awash in the light of the sun. How his pale, blue eyes had frozen her in place.

He was a man of silver and gold. And she would not let him become red like her.

She would keep him safe.

"A-actually," May said, "I don't think you need to come."

How could she have been so eager to take the backseat and let Steven do her work for her? He wasn't the Champion anymore. He was under no obligation to come and put his life on the line. If he got hurt because of her, she'd never forgive herself.

It dawned on her then just how pathetic she was acting. Champions weren't supposed to cry and stutter in the woods.

Why was she constantly reminding herself to not be so weak?

"May?" Steven asked.

"It-it's okay." She paused, cleared her throat, and then tried to speak with more confidence. "You don't need to come. I was just overreacting."

"May –"

"Stay indoors." Her voice had taken on an authoritative tone. "Don't go outside, no matter what. I'll take care of everything."

"What –"

"Don't come," she repeated, hoping he would heed her warning seriously.

She hung up before he could say anything else. Her nav began to ring almost immediately after, but she ignored his call. She'd explain everything to him when she herself knew what was going on.

She stood up, wincing as the cut sole of her right foot burned beneath her weight. Favoring her uninjured foot, she turned around in a slow circle, watching for any sign of her glowing, possessed friend.

But she saw only darkness.

A dozen or so voices, all coming from Petalburg, began to rise above the wind. May immediately started back for the small town. Whether Wally was still in the area or not, she didn't want anybody out and about.

Residents clad in bathrobes and pajamas were emerging from their homes and crowding around the rubble of Wally's home.

"You heard the explosion, right?" one woman was saying to another. Her hair was pinned up by rows of pink hair rollers. "What do you think happened?"

"I don't know," the other woman said. She tightened the belt of her robe. "Maybe it was a robbery."

The first woman frowned. "Well, whatever it was, I hope Wally's okay. Do you think he's still inside?"

"I don't know," the second woman said again. "But I called the police – they should have been here by now."

A young boy pulled on her arm and pointed up to the sky. "Look, Mom!"

Two Pidgeottos cawed overhead, and from their backs dropped two police officers – one man and one woman.

"Holy Shelgon. What a mess," the man said, surveying the damage. He turned to the crowd. "Well, folks. Anybody want to explain what happened here?"

The women from before approached him.

"I know the family who lives here," the first one said. "The parents aren't in town right now, but their son Wally… I think he might have been inside when _this_ happened." She gestured toward the hole in the house.

"We would've gone inside to check, but there's too much glass on the ground," the second woman added.

"Don't worry," May said, stepping into view. "Wally is unharmed." At least, he was in the physical sense.

All eyes turned to her, and a collective gasp erupted from the crowd.

Perhaps May shouldn't have called attention to herself like that. It didn't serve any good for the people to see their leader all bloodied and haggard. She could practically see the color draining from the faces that stared at her.

"Champion May!" The officers moved the meet her. "Are you alright?"

May held up her hands and tried to sound reassuring. "I'm fine. There was just a bit of an accident."

"You're bleeding," the female officer noticed. "Please, let us escort you to the pokécenter."

"Really, I'm fine. It's not as bad as it looks." May started to smile, but stopped when she realized that doing so would probably make her look worse.

She turned to address the crowd. "Please, return to your homes. Everything is fine."

Nobody moved a muscle. Everyone stared at her like they knew she was keeping a dark secret from them, and to some extent, she was.

"Everything is fine," she repeated. "There's nothing to see here."

Her words did little to dissipate the fear in the residents' faces, but she was obeyed without question. The crowd dispersed.

"Are you really alright, Champion May?" the female officer asked once everyone was out of earshot.

"Yes," May said. "But I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a big problem on our hands."

She explained what had happened, starting from the moment she'd met Wally earlier today to the moment she'd run into Petalburg woods to look for him.

"Wally seems to be under the influence of something beyond our understanding," she concluded.

She realized then just how shaken up the officers appeared to be. Her recounting of actual events had sounded more like a scary story. At least they were taking her seriously.

"But it'll be okay," she added, trying to end on a positive note. "Whatever is controlling Wally, I'll stop it."

"What are you going to do?" the male officer asked.

May thought for a moment. She still hadn't a clue where Wally was, or what had caused him to become so inhuman. She couldn't call for Steven for help again – he was to be kept completely uninvolved. Luckily, he wasn't the only strong trainer she knew.

"I'm going to meet with the Elite Four," she decided. "We will reach a decision together before taking action."

"What do you need us to do?" the female officer asked.

"Call for backup. Survey the area. Under no circumstances is anyone to go outside tonight." The directions were pouring out of her mouth. With her panic attack out of the way, it was easier for her to think clearly. "Contact my… I mean, contact Norman. Explain everything to him. Tell him to gather his students and remain stationed at the gym. Tell him that if Wally makes an appearance, do not engage in battle. Instead, try to dodge his attacks for as long as possible. This should buy enough time for everyone to evacuate to Oldale."

May didn't want her father to risk his life any more than she wanted Steven to, but in this dire situation, Norman had to uphold his position as a gym leader. She needed to count on him to help protect the people.

"Send someone out to Lavaridge," May continued. "Wally's parents are there. They need to know what's going on." She paused. "Can I count on the police to do all this for me?"

"Yes!" the officers replied.

"Thank you."

The officers sprung into action and began to dial numbers into their navs. May took her own nav out and dialed Sidney's number. She paced toward the beach while it rang.

Sidney picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Sidney, it's May."

"May?" he repeated. "Well, this is certainly unexpected. When was the last time we spoke?" It was difficult to hear him – there were a lot of voices in the background.

"Listen, I need to talk to you," May said.

"What? You finally confessing your love to me?"

"Please be serious. I need to talk to you _and_ the rest of the Elite Four."

"Okay, go ahead. The whole gang's right here."

She winced as her foot hit sand. "You're all together? Right now?"

"Yup," he said. Then he directed his attention to what May assumed was the rest of the Elite Four. "Guys, it's May! Everyone say hi!" A chorus of _hi's_ followed.

"Where are you guys?" There was no way they were at Ever Grande at this time of night.

"Where else? We're at the Devon Party!"

May thought she heard Brawly _whoop_ in the background.

"The Devon Party? That's still going on?" When she'd called Steven earlier, it hadn't sounded like it was still going on.

"Of course it's still going on. Oh, and by the way, I heard that you were here earlier. Why didn't you stay? You could've seen your old pal, Sidney!"

"Sidney, listen to me. I need all of you to meet me on Route 104. I'm calling an emergency meeting."

"What? Are you serious? I ain't leaving!"

"Sidney, _it's an emergency."_

"What could be so important that I need to leave the biggest party of the year?"

"How about the fact that there is an opponent who knocked out my Swampert in one hit, and now he's running rampant throughout Hoenn?"

"Ha! Good one, May."

May's grip around her nav tightened. "This isn't a joke, Sidney."

Sidney didn't say anything. A dozen other voices floated through the background.

"Sidney," she said, thinking that he hadn't heard her.

"You serious?" he asked. His voice was quiet, made quieter by the party, but May could still hear him.

"Yes," she said.

"This isn't some kind of prank?"

"No."

"You serious?" he asked again.

"Sidney."

He was silent for another moment. May only hoped that her desperation was finally getting through to him.

"I forget," he finally said. "Where's Route 104?"

"It's the beach to the left of Petalburg City."

"Okay. Be there in a sec." The line clicked off.

As terrible as everything seemed at the moment, May was grateful that the Elite Four happened to be so close by. Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, and Drake all lived in different parts of Hoenn, so meeting up could have taken much longer.

May paced back and forth on the beach. She let the tide wash over her injured foot even though it dampened the ends of her dress. She'd have to buy Lisia a new one.

It felt like she'd waited forever, but when she checked the time on her nav, she was surprised to discover that only three minutes had passed since her call to Sidney.

An additional minute passed until they arrived.

She could see them soaring over the trees. Drake was on his Salamence, Sidney on his Mandibuzz, and Phoebe and Glacia rode together on a Flygon. May guessed that they'd borrowed it from Drake.

She raised her hand to get their attention, and they promptly landed around her.

"Thank you for coming," she said as they dismounted their pokémon. "I know this isn't the most ideal spot for a meeting, but it's an emergency."

Like her, they were dressed in formal attire. All bow ties and dresses.

Everyone's eyes widened after taking in May's appearance.

"Sidney said the situation was serious," Glacia began, "but I didn't realize how bad it really was."

"Yeah," Phoebe said. "Are you alright, May?"

"I'm fine," May reassured.

"You don't look so fine to me," Sidney said.

"I am, really."

"What happened?" Drake asked, raising the brim of his hat. "Do we need to prepare for war?"

May shook her head. "There's no war, but the situation is just as dire."

She gave them the same story she'd given the police, and they listened to her with their full attention. Even Sidney remained completely focused.

"The police are surveying the area, and my father is on standby," May finished. "I wanted to ask each of you what you think we should do from here."

"You've done well so far," Drake praised her. "But I suggest we have every gym leader on standby."

" _Every_ gym leader?" Sidney repeated. "It's just one boy. Do we really need to have the whole nation on high-alert?"

"This _one boy_ defeated May's Swampert with just one hit," Glacia reminded him. "If May couldn't defeat him, nobody else stands a chance."

"But May didn't even fight him seriously," Sidney pointed out.

May stiffened. "I don't want to hurt him."

Sidney crossed his arms. "We might not have any other choice."

"Hold on, Sidney. I'm with May on this," Glacia interjected. "Possessed as he may seem, Wally is still human. An attack from any of our pokémon could very well kill him."

"Then how are we supposed to stop him?" Sidney asked.

"We paralyze him," Drake suggested.

"Paralyze him?" May repeated. "No. I can't do that."

"We wouldn't have to hurt him," Drake reiterated. "I'm thinking we could utilize Stun Spore. Many of the pokémon in this region know it. It's the perfect TM - its effects are temporary and wouldn't cause any lasting physical harm to the boy."

"I see… That could be enough to stop him," May agreed, "but it doesn't solve the bigger issue. We need to figure out what's controlling him."

"Have you any theories?" Drake asked.

May shook her head.

Phoebe, who'd been uncharacteristically quiet, finally piped in. "I think I know."

Everyone looked at her.

"Really?" May asked.

Phoebe nodded, and then asked, "Do you still have the blue orb in your possession?"

"Um…" May hadn't been expecting that question. "I think so." She opened her bag and began to rifle through its contents. When she couldn't find the orb right away, her digging became desperate. "It's… it's not here."

"I thought so," Phoebe murmured. "It's the blue orb. That's what's controlling Wally."

"An _orb_ is what's controlling him?" Sidney asked. "How is that even possible?"

Phoebe threw him an exasperated look. "Please. If it can control _Kyogre_ , it can control a boy."

"If we get it back, will Wally become normal again?" Glacia asked her.

"I think so, but I'm not one-hundred percent certain. My knowledge of the orb only runs so deep. But my grandpa knows more about it." She looked at May. "I believe you've met him before – he watches over Mount Pyre."

"Can you call him?" May asked.

Phoebe shook her head. "He doesn't have a pokénav."

"Seriously?" Sidney muttered.

Phoebe ignored him. "If we wanted to talk to him, we'd have to do so in person."

"Where would he be?"

"Where he always is. Mount Pyre."

"Even at this time of night?" May asked.

Phoebe nodded. "Yes. He doesn't like to be away from it."

May reached into her bag and pulled out Salamence's pokéball. "Then let's go."

"Wait," Glacia said. "I still think we should let all of Hoenn know the gist of what's happening. What if Wally were to appear at Rustboro right now, where there are hundreds of unaware people?"

"In a situation such as this, you can never be too cautious," Drake added.

May saw their points. "Then we'll let everyone know."

Glacia retrieved her nav from the small bag at her side. "Should we call the gym leaders and ask that they warn their towns?"

"We could, but we need to consider the towns that don't have gym leaders," May said. "I think what we need to do is get in touch with Wattson and ask that he open Mauville's TV station for an Emergency Broadcast. I'll issue the news to the entire region all at once. After that, Phoebe and I will go to Mount Pyre."

"Maybe you should let one of us issue the news," Sidney suggested.

"Why?" she asked.

"It's more time efficient. _We'll_ do the broadcast while you and Pheebs go see her gramps. Besides," he said, "you look like sh –"

"What Sidney is _trying_ to say," Glacia cut in, "is that you look a little… beaten up."

May raised a hand to the cut on her face and realized that it was still bleeding. "Oh."

Considering the way Petalburg's residents had reacted upon seeing her in her current state, it probably wasn't a good idea for her to appear on national television.

"Then Phoebe and I will go to Mount Pyre now," May said. She summoned her Salamence and swung herself onto his back. "Just make sure to say that if anyone comes across Wally, do _not_ engage in battle. Fleeing is the best option."

"Got it," Sidney said.

"And don't make Wally out to be a criminal – he's a victim."

"Got it."

"And mention that we are actively solving the issue. We don't want to sound completely hopeless."

"Okay, got it."

"And don't –"

" _Okay,_ we got it," Sidney cut her off. "Quit worrying so much, Champ. We have it all under control."

Glacia and Drake nodded once in agreement.

Phoebe swung herself up behind May. "Let's go, May. To Mount Pyre!"

With one pump of his powerful wings, Salamence took off from the ground. Then like an arrow from a bow, he shot through the night sky. The women's dresses billowed behind them like wind-torn flags.

Phoebe, having almost lost her balance, threw her arms around May's waist.

"I'm going to fall," she said, breathless with dread.

"Sorry," May said, "but it's best that we make haste."

The land beneath them was just a dark mass of rustling trees. May couldn't help but glance down to look for the glowing figure of her possessed friend, though she knew the effort was futile.

"I didn't get to say this before," Phoebe began, her voice loud enough to be heard above the wind, "but it's good to see you again, May."

"It's good to see you, too."

"I was beginning to think that you'd never come back."

"Same here."

Phoebe laughed. "Well, I'm glad that you did."

May pursed her lips. She couldn't agree with that. It was her fault that any of this was happening.

She did see the humor in it, though. To think that she returned to watch over the country, but ended up being the one to put it in danger. She didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

They flew for another twenty minutes, but Mount Pyre remained a speck in the distance. May bit back her frustration.

Both hers and Phoebe's pokénavs began to ring. They fished them from their bags.

"'Emergency Broadcast Alert'," Phoebe read from the glowing screen.

The screen cut to a shot of Glacia, who sat at a desk like an anchorwoman about to give the daily news.

"People of Hoenn," she began. "It is with a heavy heart that I come bearing urgent news."

May held her breath even though she already knew what was going to be said.

"Before I say anything," Glacia continued, "please bear in mind that we, the Elite Four, and our brilliant Champion, are actively solving the problem at hand."

"Glacia's good at this," Phoebe mused. "Her voice is so calming. I can't imagine what we would've done if Sidney was in her place."

"Very recently," Glacia said, "a young man fell victim to the control of Hoenn's blue orb. What this means is that if anyone happens to come across this young man, do not engage in battle. I repeat, do _not_ engage in battle."

"She's not even saying his name," Phoebe noted.

"It's probably best that she doesn't," May said. "I did tell them not to criminalize him. Plus, we don't want to bring negative attention to his family."

"According to our Champion, this young man has developed glowing blue eyes and skin in reaction to the orb," Glacia said.

"Woah." Phoebe raised her brows. "She said that like it was the most normal thing in the world."

May's throat tightened. "I just hope people will believe it."

"If you happen to see him, please get in contact with your gym leader, or with the police department. For those of you attending the Devon Party, we highly suggest you return to your homes as soon as possible. We do not anticipate the problem to last long, but please keep yourselves safe until is completely fixed." Glacia cleared her throat before concluding, "This is Glacia of the Elite Four. Thank you for your time."

The screen went black.

"That was short," Phoebe said.

"Yes. But Glacia did well."

Another forty-five minutes passed until Mount Pyre began to loom.

It looked menacing in the darkness. Thick clouds of mist surrounded its peak, and the sea at the bottom crashed against its sides. There was something forewarning about it, almost as if it was alive and watching them.

"Where will your grandfather be?" May asked.

Phoebe pointed to the top of the mountain. "There."

"Let's go, Salamence."

They soared through the mist and landed in a patch of over-grown weeds. A cluster of tombstones sat directly to their left.

"I can hardly see anything through this mist," May said. "How are we going to find your grandfather?"

Phoebe turned her head to the right. "They said he's that way."

May looked at her. "They?"

"Yup." She grinned at the tombstones.

May tried to ignore the chill that ran up her spine.

"Return, Salamence." She withdrew him back into his pokéball.

She and Phoebe walked straight, and soon enough, a dirt path revealed itself. A bit further down was a stairway carved from stone. At its top stood a lone figure.

Phoebe broke out into a run. "Grandpa!"

Her grandfather held his arms out. "Phoebe, my dear."

They embraced.

"Hello," May greeted, coming up behind Phoebe. "I believe we've met before, but it's been a while."

The old man untangled himself from the embrace. "Ah, yes. The girl who retrieved the blue orb from that terrible Team Aqua."

"She's more than that, Grandpa," Phoebe interjected. "She's the Champion."

"Oh, yes. That's right," he said. "Pleased to have you here, Miss Champion."

"Thank you for having me."

As much as May wanted to ask him why he was standing on top of a mountain at this hour, there were more important things that needed to be addressed.

"We need your help with something," she began.

"Is it about the blue orb?" he asked.

"Yes… How did you know?"

"I've watched over the orb for over sixty years. Though it is no longer in my possession, I can still tell when something has happened to it." He smiled. "Call it a sixth sense."

"I… no longer have the orb with me. I wasn't careful enough." May bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

"Please don't apologize, Miss Champion. Every owner of the orb has had it taken at some point." He chuckled softly to himself. "But am I wrong in assuming that this is a much more serious case?"

"No, you're right." May looked up at him. "I don't know what to do."

His eyes were kind. "Let's hear what happened."

She told him the same story she'd been telling all night. He seemed to process the story much calmer than both the police officers and the Elite Four had. He nodded along to what she was saying as easily as if she was describing the weather.

He was still nodding by the time she'd finished.

"This is quite the predicament," he mused.

"We want to know more about the orb," May said. "Why it's controlling Wally, how to get it back… everything."

The old man immediately had an answer. "I believe it is controlling poor Wally because of his soul."

"His soul?" Phoebe repeated.

"Yes. The orb can control those whose souls have become weak."

May's breath caught. "So that means Wally…"

"Was in a very dark place," the old man finished. "He must have been very unhappy for this to have happened."

With the feeling of a knife twisting into her gut, May realized that she'd already known this.

She had seen the way Wally couldn't meet her eyes, had heard the way he explained that his parents were out buying him medicine.

Of course Wally had been unhappy. And she'd done nothing to change that.

This really was all her fault.

"The soul is what controls the body," the old man was saying, "and the blue orb is a soul in itself. If a body's soul is weak, then the blue orb can take control over it. It's like a ghost possessing a living creature."

"So how do we get it back?" Phoebe asked.

"Meteorite."

"Meteorite?" the women repeated.

"Yes. Meteorite," the old man affirmed. "It is the only thing that can force the blue orb from your friend."

"How do we use it?" May asked.

The old man pointed to his chest. "Just touch it against Wally's chest. That's where the orb should be – right next to the heart."

"That's it?" Phoebe asked. "Just touch it against his chest?"

"Do not sound so doubtful, my dear. Meteorite is incredibly powerful. The fact that some of it is able to make it to our planet without burning up is testament that it is a sacred gift from the deeper realms of the Universe."

"I remember," May said, "that Team Aqua once stole some from Professor Cozmo."

The old man nodded. "Yes. It is sought after by both people and pokémon alike."

"How does it work?" May asked.

"Meteorite has incredible healing properties. Its very aura promotes spiritual growth. When used on Wally, it will strengthen his weakened soul, and he will be able to reclaim his body. But –" The old man held up an appraising finger. "Be wary of the orb's power. It is, essentially, the strength of Kyogre compressed into the size of a pokéball. Be careful you don't get hurt."

"Are we able to hit him with attacks?" Phoebe asked. "We were discussing this earlier, but we weren't sure if doing so would hurt Wally."

The old man shook his head. "No, don't attack him. Wally may have the power of a legendary pokémon, but that power is being held in a very fragile shell. A hit that could injure a pokémon will definitely do lasting damage to poor Wally."

"Then how are we supposed to get near him?" Phoebe asked.

"We can do what Drake said," May suggested. "Paralyze him with Stun Spore. It should stop him long enough for us to get the Meteorite on him."

"Oh, yeah," Phoebe mused. "That might work."

"Now our only concern is finding him," May said.

"The blue orb should be pushing Wally to the Cave of Origin," the old man said. "I believe that it means to merge itself with Kyogre and wake it up."

Phoebe gasped. "It's going to wake Kyogre up?"

"And… what will become of Wally?" May asked, though she dreaded the answer.

"If the orb is removed from Wally before he can reclaim his body, then…" The old man's expression tightened. "His soul will be lost forever."

"Then we can't let that happen." Phoebe looked at May. "Right?"

May nodded, though the movement was feeble. "Right…"

This was all too much to take in at once.

Kyogre had caused enough destruction when it had been under the control of Team Aqua. If Kyogre was given free-reign to do as it pleased, the results could be disastrous.

There was also the pressing matter that her friend was in danger of losing his life. How could she save Wally when she didn't even know where he was?

She suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Her chest seemed to constrict around itself like a bloodthirsty Seviper. Her mind clouded up, becoming foggier than the mist that blanketed the mountain. It was like she was back in Petalburg Woods, only this time, she didn't have Steven to help calm her down.

Phoebe was looking at her. Her mouth was moving.

"What?" May asked.

"What's the plan?" Phoebe asked again.

May shook her head. Her mind was still too foggy to form a rational thought.

"Meteorite," Phoebe insisted. "We need meteorite first."

May forced her mouth to move. "Yeah. Meteorite."

Phoebe placed her hands on May's shoulders. "Focus, May! Hoenn's depending on you!"

May stepped out of her grasp. "Yeah… Just give me a minute."

Phoebe and her grandfather watched as their Champion struggled to breathe.

 _Shhh. Try to relax,_ came a voice from the fog of May's mind.

Steven's voice?

She forced herself to focus on it.

 _That's right,_ it continued. _It's okay._

They were the same words Steven had said to her in the woods. Though faint in her mind, they were no less calming.

It was amazing how much of an impact this man continued to have on her.

She began to see reason through the anxiety. The longer she struggled to get a grip, the closer Wally got to the Cave of Origin. She needed to spring into action. Panicking could come later.

"Okay, I'm good," she said, though her voice was still a bit breathless.

Phoebe looked doubtful. "Are you really?"

"I am," May insisted.

"Alright…"

"Now, for the plan." The fog in her mind was gone. She could focus again. "I'll fly you back to meet with the rest of the Elite Four. Tell them everything we learned tonight. Then station yourselves across Hoenn." She retrieved her pokénav and opened up her map. "One of you will patrol the areas surrounding Littleroot, Oldale, Petalburg, and Rustboro. Someone else will patrol the areas around Verdanturf, Mauville, and Slateport. Another will patrol the areas around Lavaridge and Fallarbor, and lastly, someone will patrol the areas around Fortree and Lilycove. Not only are you to look for Wally, but you are to help protect the people in those areas should he appear."

"What about the meteorite?" Phoebe asked.

May looked at the old man. "Do you know where I would be able to find some?"

"In Meteor Falls, in the very highest part of the cave," he said.

May looked back at Phoebe. "After I drop you off, I will head to Meteor Falls and get some. Once I do that, I will join in the search."

"Will you be okay looking by yourself?" Phoebe asked.

May nodded. "I'll be fine."

* * *

Even though May had said she'd be fine, her foot was really starting to bother her.

Walking along the ocean didn't seem to have helped much. The cut had opened even more, and the slightest movement sent pain up her entire leg.

"That's a nasty cut," Phoebe had told her right before she'd been dropped off in Mauville. "You'd better get that taken care of before you go mining."

"I will," May said, and she'd meant it. If she were to go mining, she would need the appropriate footwear.

She directed Salamence to her house. It was three o'clock in the morning, and the sky was still dark. All May wanted to do was throw herself on her bed and sleep forever.

But she couldn't. Sleep was for those who didn't have the responsibility of saving the world.

She returned her Salamence, who had his neck hung over in exhaustion, before entering her home.

"May!" Her mother flew down the stairs.

"Hi, Mom."

"I was worried sick! First you wouldn't answer any of my calls, and then that Emergency Broadcast happened, and I –" Her words abruptly stopped as she got a better look at her daughter. Her eyes widened in fright. "Oh… May, you…"

May held up her hands. "I'm fine, Mom. I look much worse than I really am."

Caroline looked like she was about to faint.

May moved past her and started up the stairs. She tried not to limp, but the burn of her cut made tears spring to her eyes. Caroline followed her.

"Really, Mom. Everything's okay. I have a plan and everything."

She rounded into the bathroom and turned the light on.

She started at her reflection. "Huh."

Now she could see why everyone kept going on about her appearance. She really did look terrible.

The winged eyeliner that Lisia had meticulously painted onto her lids had smudged into the hollows underneath her eyes. The blood from the cut on her face had dried down her face, looking like a red tear trail. Her hair had blown free from its curls with all the control and poise of a tumbleweed.

Good thing she hadn't done the Emergency Broadcast.

"May," her mother said from the doorway. "You're not going out, are you?"

"I have to, Mom." May turned on the faucet and began to wash her face. "I'm the Champion."

Caroline's breathing became ragged.

"Mom, it's okay."

"But…" She handed May a towel that had been hanging over the door. May dried her face with it. "You're hurt."

"Oh, this?" May pointed to the cut on her face. "This was an accident."

Caroline swallowed hard.

"Did Dad go to the gym?" May asked.

"Yes. The police came and said that you needed him there."

"Yeah. I need him to help watch over Petalburg." May hung the towel back over the door before heading into her room and closing the door.

After tossing her bag onto the floor, May reached behind her and unzipped the dress. It pooled around her ankles in a discarded heap. She limped over to her closet and pulled out a bra, a black tank top, and a pair of denim shorts.

"How bad is the situation?" Caroline asked through the door. Then, in a frightened whisper, "Don't lie to me."

May sighed as she strapped her bra on. "It's bad, but nothing that I can't fix."

Caroline fired another question. "Who's the young man who took the blue orb?"

May threw on the tank top. "Um… Nobody you know."

She couldn't say that it was Wally. Caroline adored him, and May wasn't about to cause her mother any more grief when it was clear that she had enough as it was.

"How did he get the orb?" Caroline asked.

May stepped into her shorts. "I wasn't careful enough with it."

Caroline was silent. May could just feel her mother's anxiety like anyone could feel heat from an open flame.

May reached down to the bottom of her closet and pulled out a pair of socks and a pair of shoes. She sat down to pull them on, hissing as the cotton material stuck against the wound.

Caroline's silence ended. "Shouldn't you stay here and rest up?"

May stood up. Her foot still hurt, but at least her shoes would prevent her from getting any more injuries. "I can't, Mom."

"But you look exhausted. You need energy."

"Really, Mom." May scooped up her bag and went over to open her door. Caroline stood right outside, her expression tight with worry. "I'm fine."

Caroline touched May's head. "At least get a brush through this hair."

May stepped around her to go back into the bathroom. "I will."

She untangled most of the knots before pulling her hair back into a high ponytail. Afterwards, she headed back downstairs. Caroline continued to follow closely behind.

Once May reached the front door, she turned around. "I have to go now, Mom."

Caroline shook her head no.

"I'll be okay. I promise."

"You're leaving again," her mother whispered.

May walked over and hugged her. "I'm not. I'm just doing my job."

Caroline sighed heavily. "I know that. I'm just… worried." She returned the hug.

Though she was an adult, May wanted to break down in her mother's arms.

But she couldn't. She was the Champion.

"Promise me you'll try to be safe," Caroline said.

May nodded.

"May," Caroline warned. "Promise me."

"Okay, I promise."

Caroline released her daughter. "I'll always be here for you."

"I know. Thanks, Mom." With that, May turned for the door.

"Call me if you need anything," Caroline called after her.

Once the door closed, May began limping again. She'd treat her foot properly the next time she stopped at a pokécenter.

"To Meteor Falls," she said to herself.

She was just about to summon Salamence when she heard a cry overhead. She looked up.

It was a large bird pokémon. It cried again as it spotted her, and it began to descend. As it grew closer, May could see that its feathers glinted like polished steel.

"A Skarmory?" she questioned aloud.

But as it landed, she realized that it wasn't just any Skarmory.

"Steven?" she asked as he dismounted his pokémon and began walking toward her.

He stopped just a foot away from her. Now that she wasn't in heels, he seemed to tower over her.

"Steven," she said again, her voice disbelieving. "What are you doing here?"

Without breaking eye contact with her, he reached into his pocket and produced a silver-and-black stone.

She gasped. "Is that…?"

"Meteorite," he confirmed.

She looked back up at him. "How did you…?"

"I called Phoebe."

"What? Why?"

"I didn't know what else to do. You weren't in Petalburg Woods when I arrived, and then I saw the Emergency Broadcast and I just…" He looked torn.

"You went to Petalburg Woods?" May felt the color drain from her face. What if Wally had still been in the area?

"Of course I went." He looked confused by her reaction.

"I told you not to come."

"I know," he said. "But I couldn't stay away. Not when you'd sounded so afraid."

A small part of her was angry with him. He had, after all, ignored her warning to stay away. The bigger part of her, however, was shaken by the soft concern in his voice. How could it be that he had been more worried about her than she about him?

He held the meteorite out to her. "Here."

"You're just giving it to me?" It saved her a ton of time if he was.

He nodded. "It's been sitting on my shelf for years. I'm glad it can finally be of some use."

"Well then, thank you." She took it and placed it in her bag before asking, "What did Phoebe tell you?"

If he knew about the meteorite, how much did he know about the entire situation?

"Everything," was his answer.

May pursed her lips. "I see."

Of course the one person she'd wanted to keep uninvolved in the situation would know everything about it. She was just that unlucky.

"What are you going to do now?" he asked.

"I'm going to look for Wally," she said. "The Elite Four are each assigned an area of Hoenn to search, but I plan to do a sweep of the entire country."

"Let me come with you."

She stared at him in disbelief. "What?"

He moved closer. "I know that I'm not as strong as you, but I promise that I can be of some use."

"I know you're strong, Steven, but…" She shook her head. "Wally is a target that cannot be hit. He's too dangerous."

"Do you really think that makes me want to leave you alone?" Steven took another step closer, and his gaze landed on the cut on her face. His mouth tightened into a hard line.

May turned away. "You don't understand. I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt."

The words just slipped out of her mouth. A second later did she realize just how embarrassing they were.

"Um." She felt her face burn up. "I mean… you're my friend. I don't want my friend to get hurt."

He reached up and, with the pad of his thumb, gently brushed the length of the cut on her face.

"So I'm not allowed to get hurt, but you are?" he asked softly. "That's not fair."

Her face burned even hotter. "I didn't mean…"

"How about this," he said. "I come with you, and neither of us get hurt?"

She stepped away from his touch. "Steven… You can't…"

"I won't be a burden," he promised.

"I would never think you'd be a burden," she said. "It's just…"

He waited for her to finish.

She turned her thought into a question. "Why are you so intent on coming with me? You'd only be risking your life."

His eyes softened. "Yes, but I'd be risking my life for you."

She didn't know what to say. What did that even mean?

"Please." His words were light as feathers. "I want to go with you."

She tried to ignore the flush creeping back up to her face and released an exasperated breath. This man could put on some damned good puppy eyes when he wanted to.

"Okay," she relented. "But don't say that I didn't warn you."

He released a smile so dazzling that she wanted to cover her eyes.

"Wait," came a male voice behind them.

"We're coming too," added a female voice.

May looked over and sighed heavily. "No, Lisia and Brendan. You guys are not coming."


	5. Insecurities

**A/N I did a very quick proof-read of this, so if you see anything wrong, please tell me.**

* * *

"You're not coming," May told Brendan and Lisia for the third and final time. "This is a job for the League and the Champion."

"You're letting Steven go," Brendan pointed out.

"Yes, because Steven is the former Champion. And I almost didn't let even him come."

"So is that it?" Brendan demanded. "You think I'm not strong enough to hold my own?"

"I _know_ you're strong, Brendan, but you don't know what we're up against. The one who has the blue orb defeated my Swampert with just one hit."

Brendan's eyes widened. "Wally is that strong?"

May stared at him. "How did you find out that it's Wally?"

He shrugged, but didn't answer.

"How much of our conversation did you hear?" she asked instead.

He shrugged again.

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" May felt her face heat up in both anger and humiliation.

"No. We just _happened_ to hear you guys. That's not the same as eavesdropping."

She grit her teeth. "Brendan…"

Great. Not only did Brendan and Lisia know that it was Wally to have been possessed, they'd also heard the more intimate part of her and Steven's conversation.

May looked at Steven, who'd been silently listening to her and Brendan go back and forth. Unlike her, he appeared to be completely unfazed by the revelation that Hoenn's wonder couple had heard everything he'd said to her and vice versa. Did nothing embarrass him?

"Look," Brendan said. "Wally is my friend, too. I just want to do what I can for him."

"You don't get it, Brendan. Wally isn't what you remember him to be. He's become… overwhelmingly strong."

Brendan mulled that over for a moment. "If Wally's as strong as you say he is," he said, "wouldn't it be better for us to stick together and combine our strengths?"

May shook her head. "We can't attack him, Brendan. We'd kill him."

"Who said anything about attacking him?" Brendan asked.

"Then how –"

"You know when you're out in the grass," Brendan began, "and a horde of pokémon attacks you out of nowhere?"

"What are you talking about?"

"It's hard to focus on just one, right?" Brendan continued. "Your attention is divided between multiple targets."

She was beginning to see where he was coming from. "You think Wally will be easier to defeat if he's outnumbered."

"Yeah. Wow, that's a much simpler way of saying it."

"Brendan, I don't think it's that easy."

"Sure it is. He wouldn't be able to land another hit on you as easily if there are more opponents to watch for."

Steven finally spoke. "It's not a bad idea."

Brendan grinned. "See? Steven gets it."

As much as May hated to admit it, it _wasn't_ a bad idea. Her Vileplume's Stun Spore was more likely to hit Wally if his attention was split four ways.

"I just don't want you guys getting hurt," she told Brendan and Lisia.

"This is our choice," Brendan said. "We're not holding you responsible for anything that happens, _if_ anything happens."

"That's right," Lisia added.

But she _was_ responsible for anything that might happen. Was it not the Champion's duty to keep the people of Hoenn out of harm's way?

Brendan could see the doubt on her face. "You got a better plan?"

"Well… no."

"Then that settles it. We're coming with you."

"I can't stop you," May reluctantly conceded. She'd try to think of a better plan, one that didn't include putting her friends at risk. In the meantime, she'd allow them to tag along.

She looked at Lisia. "And why do you want to come?"

"Because I want to be with Brendy-boo," was Lisia's answer.

May didn't know how to respond to that.

"I know I'm not the best fighter," Lisia said, "but I do have pokémon other than Ali."

"Really? Like what?"

"I have a Pichu and a Skitty."

May didn't know how to respond to that, either.

Lisia huffed out a disgruntled breath at May's expression. "Just because they're cute doesn't mean that they can't fight."

May sighed. "I guess it doesn't matter since we're not going to attack anyone."

Lisia clapped her hands together. "Alright! Let's go, team!"

* * *

Lisia sounded like she was in pain as she groaned. "Tell me again why we aren't flying?"

"Because the last time I saw Wally, he ran right into the trees, which are too dense to see through from overhead," May said.

"Okay… I have another question," Lisia said. "If the blue orb is supposedly pushing Wally toward Sootopolis, why aren't we in Sootopolis? Couldn't we just wait for him there?"

May shook her head. "Even though we know where he's going, we don't know where he is." She paused to scan the tree line. "He ran west, which is the complete opposite of Sootopolis's location. He could be anywhere, and I'd rather we find him before someone gets hurt."

The group had just passed through Oldale and was now on Route 102. They moved in a loosely formed single file with May at the front, Steven behind her, Brendan, and then Lisia.

It was just past four in the morning, and the sun was nothing more than a sliver of muted orange against the horizon. There wasn't enough light to make out any fine details, but that didn't matter. Not when the target glowed in the dark.

The cut under May's foot was getting worse. It had long dampened her cotton sock, and every step felt like she was walking into a puddle. It was probably infected, but May couldn't afford to treat it now. One little infection couldn't even compare to the danger that the entire country was facing.

"Are you okay?" Steven asked, moving to walk beside her.

"Yes. Why?"

"You're limping."

"Oh." She straightened her gait. "I'm fine."

She felt his eyes on her face and pushed further ahead of the group. Steven easily kept up with her.

"Did Wally do that?" he asked.

"No. I stepped on something sharp."

He stared at her face again. "Maybe we should take a break."

"Take a break?" She looked at him. "No, we can't. We need to find Wally."

"You have the League stationed all over Hoenn," he pointed out. "They'll call if anything comes up."

"I know, but I wouldn't be able to rest knowing that they're still looking. That wouldn't be right."

"May." Steven reached a hand out like he meant to stop her. "You're hurt."

She ducked away from his touch and kept walking. "It's not that bad."

"Did I hear something about a break?" Brendan called. "Good idea. I could go for some coffee."

"Yeah, coffee sounds good," Lisia agreed.

"We are not taking any breaks." May was sure that if she weren't so exhausted, her tone would have been much harsher.

Brendan yawned loudly. "C'mon, May. One little coffee break isn't going to kill anybody."

Nobody was taking this seriously. The lives of everyone in Hoenn were at stake, and all her friends could think about was coffee. Didn't they realize how urgent this was?

The group stepped out of the trees and into Petalburg. May immediately started for Wally's house. Maybe her friends would become more serious once they saw what was left of it.

Five police officers were patrolling the town, including the two who'd first arrived at the scene. They all stopped to stare at the group.

May realized then just how much she and her friends stood out. Their entourage consisted of the Champion, the ex-Champion, a contest star, and the son of the nation's most renowned professor. The whole scenario sounded like the beginning of a joke.

There was also the matter that she was the only one dressed appropriately. While she looked like she was prepared to track down and battle the strongest opponent she'd ever come across – which she _was_ – her friends looked like they were going to a dinner party. Steven was wearing a gray dress shirt, a red tie, and a pair of black pants. Brendan was wearing a variation of Steven's outfit - a white dress shirt, a black tie, and black pants. Lisia was wearing a dark blue sundress and matching ballet flats, and had a white, expensive-looking handbag slung over her shoulder.

In Steven's defense, the guy always wore formal attire regardless of where he was or what he was doing. May didn't know what the wonder couple's excuse was.

"Any news?" she called to the officers.

"No, ma'am," one said.

"But we're staying in touch with Norman," added another.

"I see. Keep up the good work," May said, continuing to walk by. The officers tipped their hats to her as she passed.

Once Wally's house came into view, she pointed at it. "Look."

It looked like something out of a horror movie. Yellow caution tape now lined its perimeter. The Swampert-sized hole in its front resembled a jagged mouth, one that was locked opened in a perpetual scream. Wind whistled through its walls, and the roof creaked as though it was about to collapse. Rubble was piled all over its front yard.

"Wow." Lisia's mouth made a small _o_.

"This is... something else," Brendan added.

Steven was silent as he stared at something on the ground. May followed his line of vision and found a torn piece of wallboard. It had a bloody footprint on it. Hers.

She turned away. "Now you've seen what Wally is capable of. If the blue orb merges with Kyogre, it'll be a thousand times worse than this."

"But we won't let that happen. Will we, Champ?"

Everyone turned around. Sidney was walking towards them, tossing a pokéball up and down.

"Sidney," May greeted him. "Any sign of Wally?"

"None that I can see." Sidney stretched his arms above his head. "Man, I sure wish he'd show up already. It's only been a few hours but I'm bored as hell."

"Don't lower your guard, Sidney," May warned. "If Wally were to appear right now –"

Sidney waved her off. "I know, I know." He nodded at Steven. "Hey, man. Where've you been? I didn't see you at the party."

Steven smiled and shrugged. "I must've left before you arrived."

"Bailed out on your own party, huh? I dig that." He looked over at Brendan and Lisia. "Long time no see."

"You bailed, too," Brendan told him "You left right when Brawly started taking champagne shots."

"Wait, he seriously did it?" Sidney asked.

"Yeah. The dude downed like, twelve glasses before the staff asked him to stop."

"Aw, man! I wish I could've been there! But this one –" Sidney jerked his thumb at May, "- came calling for me."

"Because the country's in danger," May muttered. Why was she the only one who remembered that?

"So what are you guys doing out here?" Sidney asked Brendan and Lisia.

Brendan grinned. "The more, the merrier."

"I thought it best to travel in a group," May clarified. "It'll be easier to subdue Wally if he's outnumbered."

"Ah, I see. Smart," Sidney mused. He looked her over. "But hey, maybe you should get some rest. You look exhausted."

She ignored the pointed look Steven gave her. "I'm fine. I've still got a few more hours in me."

"If you say so." Sidney rocked back on his heels."So what are you guys gonna do now?"

"I want to talk to my dad for a sec," May said. "Just to see what he plans on doing from here on out."

Sidney nodded. "Yeah, I spoke to him a little while ago. He's ready for action."

"What are _you_ going to do now?" May asked.

"I'm gonna resume my search. If Wally won't come to me, I'm just gonna have to go to him." He began walking away. "See you guys later."

"Contact me if anything comes up," May called after him.

"Do you want us to come with you to the gym?" Lisia asked her.

May shook her head. "No. It'll only take a minute or so."

"Then the rest of us are getting coffee," Brendan said.

May gave an impatient wave of her hand. "Okay, fine. But be quick."

"You want anything?" he asked.

"No, thanks."

"You sure? You look like you could use some."

"I don't want any coffee," she snapped. Caffeine made her anxious.

"Alright, jeez." Brendan and Lisia started for the pokécenter. "We'll meet you back here in five minutes."

Steven lingered behind. "You should come just to heal your injury."

"Really, Steven. It's not that bad," she insisted. "But can I ask you to do something for me?"

"Of course."

She reached into her bag and removed her Swampert's pokéball. "Can you get him healed for me?"

Steven took the pokéball. "Yes." He paused, looking like he wanted to say more.

May started for the gym before he could. "Thank you."

She squinted as the gym's automatic doors parted – the inside of the building was so bright compared to the darkness of the early morning.

"May?" came her father's voice.

May tried to focus her vision. "Hi, Dad."

He moved over to greet her. The sound of people talking came from the back room.

"Are those your students?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he said. He grasped the tops of her shoulders. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure? I saw the wreckage." He moved closer to her face. "And you got a cut right there."

"Don't worry - that was just an accident. Otherwise, I escaped without injury. The same cannot be said for my Swampert, however."

Norman blew out a long breath. "Unbelievable."

"I'm sorry I had you come out here at this time," she apologized. "I wouldn't have asked you to if the situation wasn't serious."

"Don't be silly. I'm happy to help in any way I can. But I just can't wrap my head around the fact that it's Wally."

"It's crazy," she agreed.

"How did he get it? The orb, that is."

"I ran into him on my way home from the party. We ended up talking for a while and, well." She sighed. "I wasn't careful enough. This is all my fault."

"What's done is done," her father said. "Your only concern now is finding a solution."

"Already have one."

"Good." He grinned. "I knew you'd figure something out."

"Thanks, Dad. But I have to find him for it to work. Have you heard anything?"

He shook his head. "I've been in touch with both Sidney and the police, but nothing's come up."

"What have you been doing?" May asked.

"What those officers told me you'd said to do. Remaining on standby."

Something thudded into the walls from the backroom. The roar of a Zangoose followed.

"Sorry about that. My students are getting antsy. It's been a while since they've seen any action around here."

"Dad, you have to make sure they know that Wally isn't to be attacked. He could be killed."

"Don't worry – the police already told us that we're not to engage in battle. I can't stop them from being excited, though."

"Excited," May repeated under her breath.

Why was it that she was the only person taking this seriously? She hadn't wanted the whole nation to panic, but she didn't want people to be completely unconcerned, either. Was it because she was the only one who'd borne witness to Wally and his terrifying capabilities?

"What are you going to do now?" Norman asked.

"I'm going to continue my search."

He raised his brows. "You're not going to search the entire country, are you?"

"Someone has to."

"Look," he began. "I know you probably already got this from your mother, and I know you're the Champion, but I don't like the thought of you going off on your own."

"I'm not alone. I'm actually traveling with Brendan, Lisia, and –"

"Lisia? Who's that?"

"She's only the biggest contest star in the world."

"Why's she with you?"

"She's Brendan's girlfriend."

"Ah. Gotcha."

"And I'm also with Steven."

"Steven?" Norman repeated. "Steven Stone?"

"Yes."

"That's quite the cast."

"I know. I initially didn't want anybody coming with me, but Brendan made a good point. He said that it's best to outnumber our opponent."

"Smart kid," Norman mused. "Where are your friends now?"

"They're getting coffee."

"Well, I hope they're getting some for you, too. You look dead."

"Thanks, Dad."

"I'm serious. Don't overwork yourself too much, okay?"

"Okay."

A Linoone howled from the back. Someone began cheering.

Norman rubbed the back of his head. "I'm gonna have to go and make sure they don't run this place to the ground."

"I won't keep you here, then." May started for the door. "Call me if anything comes up. Sidney will be in the area indefinitely if you need him."

"May."

She stopped and turned around. Her father walked up and pulled her against his chest.

"Stay safe," he said.

She returned the hug. "I will."

Her friends were waiting for her when she walked outside. They were each carrying a paper coffee cup.

"Here." Steven held out her Swampert's pokéball.

"Thanks." She took it and placed it in her bag.

"Ready?" Brendan asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

May started for Route 104. "Yes."

They moved right past the beach and into Petalburg Woods. May was immediately on edge, goose bumps forming down the length of her arms. This was the last place she'd seen Wally, and the fact that nobody else had seen him since meant that there was a good chance he was still around.

"Have your pokémon ready," she told the others.

"Why?" Brendan asked.

"This is the last place I saw Wally. He may still be around." Her eyes roamed over the area. If Wally was indeed still around, she needed to find him as soon as possible. "Let's split up."

Lisia choked on her coffee. "Split up? I thought the point of us coming along was so we could all be together."

"It'll only be for a few minutes. And we'll be within feet of each other. I just want to do a thorough search of the area."

"What do you want me to do if I run into Wally?" Lisia asked.

"Scream," was May's answer.

Lisia shuddered.

"Let's go, Liz." Brendan took her hand and began walking to the far right.

May walked to the left.

When she'd been here just a few hours earlier, the wind had been tearing through trees like ocean waves. Now, the air was completely still. Not a leaf was rustling.

It felt like she was in a horror movie. This scene was the calm before the storm. Any second now, Wally would leap from the trees and rip her throat out.

That wouldn't happen, she told herself. She was the Champion. Nothing bad happened to Champions.

Something touched her shoulder. She jumped a foot in the air.

"Sorry," Steven said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

She turned around. "What are you doing?"

"Because Brendan and Lisia went that way, I thought I'd even the numbers out by going with you."

"Oh." May blinked. "Yeah, I understand. It's no fun being the third wheel."

Steven laughed. "But you have to admit. They're entertaining."

"I suppose that's one word you could use."

She continued to tread through the grass. A few pokémon like Wurmple and Zigzagoon scurried out of the way.

Exhaustion was starting to wear on her. She hadn't gotten a good night's sleep for two nights in a row. Her lids felt like they each weighed a hundred pounds, and it was a struggle to keep her eyes open after every blink.

"We'll be in Rustboro soon," Steven said softly. "How about we take a short break then?"

May hesitated, and then nodded. "Okay."

As much as she didn't want to take any breaks, she was dangerously close to her limit. She was less than an hour away from passing out right here on the forest floor. She just needed to rest her eyes for a few minutes, and then she'd be good to go.

Steven offered her his coffee. "Do you want some?"

"No, thank you. My body doesn't take well to caffeine." As she said this, she swayed on her feet. She would have fallen right into the grass if Steven hadn't caught her arm.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Actually," she said, "maybe I'll take a sip after all." If the caffeine made her anxious, then so be it. She'd rather be anxious than a stumbling idiot.

Steven handed her his cup. She took it and paused, wondering if she should wipe the spout before taking a sip. Then she realized she was being childish and took a sip.

She gagged on it. "What _is_ this?"

He looked surprised. "What's wrong?"

"It's so _bitter."_

"Oh." Understanding dawned on his features. "I take mine black. I forgot that most people don't like that."

She handed him the cup. "Well, it certainly succeeded in waking me up." She stuck her tongue out, trying to get the taste out of her mouth.

He laughed at her expression. "I'm sorry."

"You don't sound very sorry." She scrunched her nose. She could still taste it. "Ugh. I can't believe you can drink that."

"Sorry," he said again with a grin. "I'll remember to warn you next time."

"Next time," she scoffed. Like she was ever going to drink that again.

They walked deeper into the woods, and there was still no sign of Wally.

"You said you came here, right?" May asked. "After our phone call?"

"I did," he said.

"You didn't see anything then, did you?"

"No, I didn't."

"Where could he have possibly gone?" she muttered.

"We'll find him," Steven reassured. "We've only just begun."

"Hey!" Brendan called from somewhere behind them. "You guys around?"

"Over here," May called back.

Brendan and Lisia caught up to them.

"Find anything?" May asked.

Brendan shook his head. "No. I don't think he's here."

As much as May hated to admit it, she didn't think he was here, either. It was still dark enough that they would have easily spotted his glowing skin.

"Let's keep going, then," May declared.

They made it out of the woods and quickly found themselves right outside of Rustboro.

"It seems so long ago since we were last here," Lisia noted. "But it's only been a few hours."

"The city's so much quieter," Brendan added.

The red velvet rope that squared off the city path was still standing, but not a soul was in sight. It was hard to believe that hundreds of people had filled the streets just hours earlier.

"We're taking a break," May announced. Lisia clapped her hands in delight.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I thought you said we weren't taking any breaks," Brendan said.

"Yes, but I changed my mind. It's better that we rest for a bit than run the risk of passing out."

"I agree," Lisia said.

"We can go to my apartment," Steven offered.

May nodded. "That sounds perfect. Thank you."

He began to lead the way to the nearby apartment complex.

"Do you still have the house in Mossdeep?" May asked.

"Yes," Steven said. "Though I don't use it very often."

"That's like me," Lisia said. "I bought a new apartment in Mauville a few months ago but I've only been in it, like, twice."

"And I haven't had the chance to stay in the house I have in Sootopolis," Brendan added. "My job requires too much moving around for that."

May couldn't relate to any of them. Even though she was the Champion, she still lived with her parents. Maybe she'd start looking into getting her own place.

The inside of the building was nice. The lobby had a floor of sleek, black tile, and its walls were lined with polished, dark wood. A square, modern-looking chandelier hung from the ceiling, and black leather couches were situated along the side.

"So stylish," Lisia observed. "Maybe I ought to move in."

They took the elevator up to the fifth floor. Steven's apartment was the first one down the hallway.

He produced a key from his pocket and turned it into the lock. The door clicked, and he held it open for them.

"Woah, nice place you got here," Lisia gushed to him.

"Thank you."

It _was_ nice. The floors were made of the same polished wood that lined the walls of the lobby, and the walls were painted a dark gray.

It was incredibly spacious for just one person. The common area housed three leather couches that surrounded a large, flat-screen television. To the right was the kitchen. Along with a refrigerator and a long marble counter, there was a high-rise table, complete with four chairs. To the left was a hallway with three doors – two on the right, and one on the left.

"We're not staying long," May said. "I just want to close my eyes for a few minutes, and then we're back on the road."

"A few minutes? Are you serious?" Brendan demanded. "It's five o'clock in the morning! We're all exhausted."

"You didn't have to come," May reminded him, her voice flat. Her tolerance for her friends and their antics was at an all-time low.

"That's harsh. I'm just looking out for you – you look the worst out of all of us."

"Sorry I didn't dress up like you guys."

"That's not what I meant." He moved closer to her and pointed a finger in her face. "You have bags underneath your eyes."

"I'm aware." She slapped his hand away. "If you're so tired, why were you and Lisia awake at three o'clock?"

"We were waiting up for you."

"Why?"

"After seeing the broadcast, we had to get all the deets," Lisia chimed in.

"All the deets?" May repeated.

"You can't just announce that some 'young man' stole the blue orb and then not say who he is," Lisia explained. "We had to know."

"So you eavesdropped on my conversation with Steven," May deadpanned.

"I already said that we didn't eavesdrop," Brendan insisted. "We walked out of my house and heard you guys talking. That's it."

"Whatever." She was too tired to argue.

Brendan yawned. "But man, am I exhausted. This coffee only worked for so long."

"There are two bedrooms down the hall you guys can take," Steven said.

"Brendy-boo and I will take the one on the left," Lisia declared. "May can have the one on the right."

"Make yourselves at home," Steven said.

The couple went to investigate their room.

May turned to Steven. "What about you?"

"I'm not that tired, but if need be, I'll take the couch."

"What? Don't be ridiculous – this is _your_ apartment. I'll take the couch."

"Absolutely not. You're my guest."

Still too tired to argue, she shrugged. "If you insist."

The pain underneath her foot was unreal. She'd been trying not to limp even though every step felt like her skin was burning. Now that she'd conceded to taking a break, she could finally treat it.

"Where's your bathroom?" she asked.

He pointed down the hall. "First door on the right."

"Thanks."

She walked into the bathroom, flipped the switch, and closed the door. To her surprise, there was a shower room _and_ a bathtub. The bathtub at her house had a showerhead built into it – it was a two-in-one.

She moved to sit at the edge of the tub and turned the faucet on until the water was ankle-deep. Then she slipped her shoes off and removed her left sock. The right one had become completely red with her blood. The cotton had stuck to the wound, and she had to peel it away like it was a sticker. A soft whimper escaped her.

There was a knock at the door.

"May?" Steven asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said, her voice high with pain. She struggled to stabilize it. "I hope you don't mind that I'm using your bath for a sec."

"Not at all. Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm okay. Thank you."

She waited until he'd walked away before resuming her treatment. Turning her body around, she stuck her feet into the water. She hissed at the sudden coolness.

While she soaked her feet, she put her bag on her lap and rifled through its contents. To her dismay, she had no medicine for humans.

The water was turning a pinkish color. She lifted her right foot up to examine the cut. It didn't look infected to her, but she wasn't a doctor. She'd probably have to go to the pokécenter eventually.

She soaked her feet few a few more minutes before standing up and draining the water. On her way out, she tossed her bloody sock into the nearby trashcan; it was unsalvageable. She grabbed her shoes and walked into the bedroom.

It was just as nice as the rest of the apartment. A row of windows against the far wall overlooked the entire city. A dresser sat in one corner, and an armchair was in another. The sheets on the king-sized bed were neatly tucked in, appearing as though nobody had ever slept in them.

There was a small, white box sitting on the bed. Upon closer examination, she realized it was a first-aid kit.

She felt her eyes soften. Steven was way too nice to her.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, May opened the kit. She took out a tube of antibiotic ointment and removed its cap.

The cut burned like hell as soon as she touched a dollop of ointment to it, and she covered her mouth with her fist so that her friends wouldn't hear her cry out. Tears sprung to her eyes, but she persevered in disinfecting her wound.

"Bandages," she muttered, looking back into the kit. She replaced the ointment with a bandage roll.

Trying to tie a tight enough bandage around her foot was tricky. One hand tried to keep the bandage in place while the other one tried to wrap it without getting her fingers stuck underneath. It kept unraveling, and she was forced to start over again and again.

"Need some help?"

May looked up. Steven was leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed.

"I'll get it eventually," she said, looking back down at her work. "But thank you for lending me the first-aid kit."

"You're always like this," he said quietly.

She looked back up. "Like what?"

"You're reluctant to accept help from others. It's as if you think you don't deserve it. Why is that?"

His words surprised her. As ex-Champion, he should have already known the answer.

"I'm the Champion," she began in a voice just as quiet as his. "My needs come behind everyone else's."

He silently considered her words before speaking again. "You're a much more considerate leader than I ever was. But just because you're Champion does not mean that you don't feel pain."

"It doesn't matter what I feel." She began wrapping the bandage around her foot. "And I'm not considerate. If I was, I wouldn't have run away for two years." The bandage unraveled yet again. "Dammit," she muttered.

And then the roll was being taken out of her hands.

"What are you doing?" she asked as Steven knelt in front of her.

"Let me do this much," he said, taking her ankle into his hand.

Blood immediately rushed to her face. _What was he doing?!_

It got worse. Slowly, he slid his hand up from her ankle to the upper part of her calf. His touch sent a trail of sparks running through her veins, and her leg jerked in response.

"Sorry," he said, stroking his thumb against her skin. "Did I hurt you?"

"N-no," she stuttered.

She was painfully aware of the curve of his hand around her calf, of the steel rings he wore on his fore and ring fingers.

She glanced down to gauge his expression. Impassive, as usual.

How was he completely unaffected by this? Did he not realize the implication that arose from touching someone's leg? She didn't know whether to be amazed or frustrated.

He gently lifted her leg to examine the injury.

"No wonder you were limping," he murmured.

"It's…" Her voice was hoarse. She paused to clear it. "It's not that bad."

With his free hand, he began to wrap the roll around her foot. His method was much more effective than hers – the bandage immediately felt tight and secure.

"What you said before," he began. "About running away… I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault."

He swallowed. "I… I shouldn't have left."

The memory of finding his letter surfaced from the depths of her mind, and she felt her chest tighten. "It wasn't your responsibility to stay."

"I knew the pressures of running a country. I should have helped you."

This was all so unexpected. She lifted her face up toward the ceiling, trying to keep the sudden moisture in her eyes from spilling over.

"Then why did you leave?" she whispered.

"I…" he trailed off.

She waited. She'd wait a hundred years, so long as she could hear his explanation.

"I wanted to see the world, to live through one more adventure, before I was tied down to Devon," he finally said. "I know it's not a good reason, but it's the only one I have."

May didn't miss his choice of words: _tied down._

She looked back at him. "You don't want to inherit the company?"

"I do," he said. "I just wish that I had forged my own path."

"What do you mean?"

He finished wrapping the bandage, and his hand left her leg. "I understand that I have it easy. One day, I'll be in complete control of an established company. But…" He looked up into her eyes, his gaze distant. It was like he couldn't see her. "Will my life really be my own if I'm just taking over the one that my father has been leading?"

She didn't know if he wanted her to actually answer that. "Don't you have a choice?" she asked instead. "Is your dad forcing you to do this?"

She didn't think Joseph Stone, with his jolly nature and booming laugh, seemed like the type of person to force anything onto his son.

"He's not," Steven reassured. "But inheriting the company is still something I must do."

"Why?"

"My father has spent his entire life getting Devon to where it is today just so that I would have a secure future," Steven explained, his voice low. "What kind of son would I be if I turned my back on all of it?"

Again, she didn't know if he wanted her to answer that. She chose not to say anything at all.

"You must think me pathetic," he continued, his gaze still focused on something far away. "You've accomplished so many things on your own while I've had my hand held every bit of the way."

This was unusual. She'd never heard him sound so insecure. It shocked her that the calm and collected man she'd always looked up to had his own share of demons.

"What about when you became Champion?" May tried. "That was something you did on your own, right?"

That had been the wrong thing to say. She could tell by the way one side of his mouth pulled up into a humorless smile.

"It's not," he said. "I mooched off of Wallace in the same way I'm going to mooch off of my father."

"I don't understand."

"Wallace was supposed to have been Champion," he explained dryly. "But after defeating the Elite, he realized he wanted to take over Sootopolis's gym instead. He asked me to reign as Champion in his place, and I accepted."

"I didn't know that," May whispered.

"Now you know why I was never a very good Champion."

"You were a great Champion."

"I let you save Hoenn in my place."

May shook her head. "I just blindly threw myself into trouble and hoped for the best."

"Which is what I should have done." His voice was heavy with regret. "Instead, I pushed all the work onto you. And then I left you. I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

Not once did she ever think that Steven had pushed his work onto her. The truth of the matter was exactly what she'd said – that she had chased after danger like an idiot. And while she'd been confused and hurt by his sudden departure, she realized now that he'd only been acting on his own insecurities.

"Leaving Hoenn was something you wanted to do," she said. "You don't have to regret that."

He chuckled, though the sound wasn't a happy one. "That's just the problem. If I'd realized sooner what it was I truly wanted, you wouldn't have suffered. I really am pathetic."

"I suffered because I was weak."

"Don't call yourself weak, May."

"Then don't call yourself pathetic, Steven."

He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. His gaze became focused again. It was like he had woken from a bad dream.

"Sorry for rambling on and on like that," he said. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as if he had a terrible headache. "I don't know what came over me."

"You apologize a lot," she noted.

He stood up. "Because I'm always messing up."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She'd always placed Steven on a pedestal, believing him to be the most confident man on the planet. Only now did she realize that he had flaws and insecurities just like everyone else.

The man of silver and gold was tarnished. Why hadn't she noticed?

"I'll let you rest now," he said, turning for the door. "We still have a lot of ground to cover."

She pushed herself off the bed and grabbed his arm. "Wait."

He turned back to look at her.

"You're not always messing up," she started. "You might think you are, but you're not. You're the most incredible person I know, and I've always looked up to you."

He smiled, but it looked forced and overly polite. She could tell that he didn't really believe what she was saying.

That made her angry.

"You think that by taking over Devon, you won't be living a life of your own," she continued. "But you _will_ be. Don't you remember what your father said at the party? That it was _your_ suggestions to have gotten the company its recent success, not his. He may have brought the company to where it is today, but you alone are going to make it even better."

His smile remained polite. He still didn't believe her.

She became furious.

She pulled on his arm as hard as she could. Surprised, he lost his balance and fell backwards onto the bed. She moved to stand over him.

"May, what…?" He started to push himself up.

She grabbed his wrists and held them over his head. She would make him listen to her.

"Why don't you believe me?" she demanded.

He didn't struggle, though she was sure he could easily overpower her if he wanted to.

He gazed evenly at her. "I do believe you."

"Liar," she growled. "You're a liar."

His eyes danced with amusement. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't want you to say anything. I want you to see yourself clearly."

He smiled, and this time, it was genuine. "Then I'll ask the same of you."

She frowned. "What?"

"I want you to see yourself clearly," he said.

"I already do."

"No, you don't. I _know_ you don't. But I want you to."

"Hey, Steven?" The door across the hall opened and Brendan stepped out, holding two empty coffee cups. "Do you have a trashcan anywhere? There's not one in the room." And then he looked into May's room. His brows shot up to his hairline. "Well."

Exhaustion and anger had been clouding May's better judgment, and she couldn't understand why Brendan had a stupid grin growing on his face.

And then her judgment came back with a vengeance, slamming into her like a runaway train.

* * *

 **A/N This chapter is much shorter than the others. I figured that shorter chapters would mean more frequent updates.**

 **The part about Wallace originally being Hoenn's champion is canon to the pokémon manga. I found that out a few days ago. I thought it was interesting.  
**


	6. Hopeless Despair

**A/N No-Life Sama, sorry I'm just replying to your comment – I'd love to see more of your amazing work. For those of you who don't know, No-Life Sama has created spectacular drawings of my story. I suggest you check them out.**

* * *

May wasn't sure what she wanted more – to sleep, or to die of embarrassment.

Why, oh why, did _Brendan_ of all people, have to catch her straddling the future president of Devon?

She jumped off of Steven and backed up until she hit the wall.

Brendan looked at her with his eyebrows raised. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing," May said. Her voice cracked.

Steven sat up. Unlike her, he appeared completely unfazed by the intrusion.

Brendan was still looking at her. "I thought you said you were gonna rest," he said, his lips quivering with poorly restrained laughter.

"I'm still going to," May insisted.

He raised a hand to his chin as if he were studying a piece of art. "Hmm…"

"Get out, Brendan."

He held up his hands in mock resignation. "Alright, alright, I'll get out of your way. You can continue with… whatever it was you were doing." He retreated back into his own room. May was one-hundred-percent certain that he was going to share his findings with Lisia.

May couldn't bring herself to look at Steven. She stared at the floor. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for, May."

Did he forget that she had just forcefully pinned him to the bed?

She lifted her head. He was back to his usual, composed self, as if their earlier conversation had never even happened.

He rose to his feet. "I'll let you rest now. Come find me if you need anything." And then, before she could say anything, he was gone.

She went back to the bed and fell against the mattress. The area where Steven had been lying was still warm.

* * *

"Why didn't anybody wake me?" May demanded as she charged into the kitchen. Steven, Lisia, and Brendan were all seated around the table.

"What do you mean?" Brendan asked. "You never told us to wake you."

"I said that I just wanted to close my eyes for a _few minutes_."

She'd slept through the morning and well into the afternoon. For all the hours she'd been unconscious, Wally had gotten closer to the Cave of Origin. How many people had he hurt along the way?

Her throat began to tighten.

"It's only been a few hours," Lisia pointed out.

"Yeah," Brendan said. "Besides, you needed the sleep anyway, and – hey, you okay?"

She couldn't answer him. There wasn't enough air in the room.

She stared at her friends with panicked eyes. Why was she the only one who was suffocating?

"Breathe, May," Brendan said, his voice lightening with concern.

 _I'm trying,_ was what she wanted to say.

She didn't remember seeing him stand up, but suddenly, Steven was beside her. He held her by the elbows.

"May," he said.

She shook her head and shoved away from him. She couldn't allow him to hold her in place, not when she needed to be out and looking for Wally. Her vision began to darken and sway as if she'd suddenly found herself in the hull of a ship.

Steven advanced toward her again and grabbed her wrists. She shoved at him again, but this time, he did not let go.

He ducked his head to hers so that their gazes were level. His mouth was moving. He was talking to her.

"I can't hear you," she mouthed.

"It's okay," he said.

It wasn't. May knew that it wasn't. How could he say that it was? Didn't he understand the severity of the situation? People's lives were at stake. If Wally hurt anyone, the blood would be on _her_ hands.

"I'm so stupid," she said, sounding as though she'd just finished running a marathon. "How could I…?"

"You're not stupid," Steven said. "You've done nothing wrong."

"But I –"

"Nothing happened during the time you were asleep," Steven reassured. "The Elite, the police, and every gym leader are all on the lookout for Wally. Everything is under control. We would have been contacted otherwise."

Her panicked mind trampled down his logic like a herd of stampeding Tauros. She heard his words, but didn't quite understand their meaning.

"He's still out there," she said. "Somebody's going to get killed."

"That won't happen."

"But what if it does?" May ripped her hands free of his grasp. She didn't wait for him to answer. "We need to go. Right now."

Steven gently shook his head. "Not until you calm down."

"I am calm," she insisted. "So we need… to go and find Wally before… before…" Her lungs were dying inside her, shriveling up like wilted flowers. Her stomach plummeted to her toes as if the room had become an elevator with a snapped cable.

She was going to pass out.

She barely registered Steven's hands on her elbows as he held her in place again.

He took in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then slowly let it out. It felt nice against her skin. Again, he pulled in a deep breath, held it, and then let it out. Then he did it again. And again. And again.

He made it look so easy, breathing in this airless room. She found herself leaning forward, reveling in the calming coolness of his breath.

She felt then as if someone had removed a black veil from her face. The darkness clouding her vision began to disperse like a retreating storm. The swaying room slowly came to a standstill.

Her breathing had evened out, she belatedly realized. Her lungs were working properly again. When had that happened?

She'd been subconsciously mirroring Steven, inhaling and exhaling in time with him.  
While her mind had been running in circles, her body had been aware of everything Steven did, drawn to him like a magnet to steel.

As the last traces of panic released her from its hold, May saw that her friends were staring at her. They were wide-eyed, looking as though they'd just witnessed her murder someone.

She wished one of them would just walk up and slap her in the face. She deserved it.

She stepped away from Steven. "I'm okay," she said before anyone could ask.

Her friends were still looking at her like she wasn't.

"I'm okay," she repeated. "Really."

"Then what was _that?_ " Brendan asked.

May shrugged. "I just… got a little stressed."

"A little stressed," Brendan echoed.

"Yes," she said. "That's all."

Her friends looked at each other, engaged in a private conversation.

Frustrated, May turned and started back for her room. "Gather your things," she called over her shoulder. "We're leaving."

It didn't take long for her friends to pack. Lisia had only her bag carrying her and Brendan's things, and Steven had already filled a gray backpack for himself.

The group left the apartment and headed downstairs. As soon as she stepped outside, May froze. "What are all these people doing out here?"

The city's inhabitants were out and about, bicycling, shopping, talking, and laughing, like nothing was wrong. Hadn't they seen the emergency broadcast?

"Why isn't anybody taking this seriously?" she wondered aloud.

"People rarely heed warnings right away," Steven said. He eyed her warily, his body tense as a bowstring.

"I'm fine," she told him. She wouldn't break down again, even though she could feel the anxiety begin to rise in her throat like bile.

"But this isn't too bad, right?" Brendan nodded at the busy sidewalks. "I mean, would you rather have everybody running around in a panic?"

"I'd rather have everybody indoors, where it's safe," May said. "If Wally were to show up right now…" She shook her head, not allowing herself to dwell on the what-ifs. "Let's go see Roxanne," she said. "I want to see how she's holding up. And keep your heads low. I don't want to advertise our presence here."

Unfortunately, keeping their heads low wasn't enough to deflect attention.

"Hey," someone called out. "Isn't that Champion May?"

Passersby stopped and stared at the group.

"It _is_ her," someone else said. "And Steven Stone, too."

"Oh my gosh, that's Lisia!"

"And isn't that Professor Birch's son?"

May freed her hair of its ponytail so that it could conceal the sides of her face. "Just keep walking," she muttered. She wasn't sure if she was talking to her friends or to herself.

"We should've gotten disguises or something," Lisia said, though she didn't sound particularly bothered by the following eyes.

Just as more people began to congregate around them, they reached the gym and headed inside.

Roxanne was pacing along the front of the room. She stopped when she spotted the group.

"Hello, May," she greeted. "And Steven."

"Roxanne," Steven greeted back.

Roxanne turned to the rest of the group with raised eyebrows. "And… Brendan Birch. And… Lisia the contest star."

"They're traveling with me for the time being," May said, answering the questioning look on Roxanne's face.

"I see," Roxanne said, though she threw one more perplexed glance toward Lisia.

"Have you heard anything?" May asked.

"I haven't, but Sidney's been stopping in every now and then to check in. He said he'd let me know if anything comes up."

May felt her insides tighten with shame. While she'd been sleeping, her colleagues had been working nonstop. Some Champion she was.

"He told me the full story," Roxanne continued. "It's crazy, isn't it? That a mere boy could become so powerful."

"He's incredibly dangerous," May agreed. "Especially since we don't even know where he is."

What sounded like two boulders crashing into each other could be heard coming from the back of the gym.

Roxanne rubbed her temples as if soothing a terrible headache. "I'm sorry about that. My students do not seem to comprehend the direness of the situation."

May thought about her father's students and their similar battle-hungry excitement. She thought about all the people that filled Rustboro's streets. Everyone was acting too carefree in the face of danger.

"We should have been a bit more candid during the broadcast," May said, her tone heavy with regret.

Roxanne waved her off. "The broadcast was fine."

"But the people outside are way too calm, **"** May said. "What are we going to do if Wally makes an appearance?"

To her credit, Roxanne had an answer ready. "My students would escort everyone to Petalburg, Verdanturf, or Fallarbor, depending on which direction Wally would come in from. They each have a full team of pokémon to help with the evacuation. I, and Sidney if he can get here in time, would do everything to hold Wally off until reinforcements arrive. Even if I'm by myself, I can still defend everybody – I may be the weakest gym leader, but believe me when I say that I will protect Rustboro and the people in it with my life."

"I know you will," May said. "And don't call yourself the weakest gym leader. If you're a gym leader at all, then there is nothing weak about you."

"You've always been too kind, May," Roxanne said with a smile and a small shake of her head. Then her face grew serious. "Are you going to continue your search?"

"Yes," May said. "We're moving on to Verdanturf. Contact me if anything happens."

"Alright."

The group turned to leave.

"Um." Roxanne cleared her throat.

May looked back at her. "What is it?"

"Do you think that Wally could, um, get to Dewford?"

May blinked. "Dewford?"

Roxanne nodded.

May was immediately on alert. "Did something happen in Dewford?"

"No, no. Nothing happened," Roxanne reassured. "It's just… I'm a bit worried. I mean, it _is_ isolated from the rest of Hoenn, so it wouldn't exactly be easy for reinforcements to get there, should anything happen."

"Oh." May blinked. "I don't think you need to worry too much. Wally's goal is Sootopolis, not Dewford. He has no reason to go there. Of course, Brawly will still be stationed at his gym just in case, but I doubt that he will see much action, if any."

Roxanne looked down. "Okay."

* * *

"That was weird," May said to Brendan as they made their way out of Rustboro and towards Rusturf Tunnel. Roxanne had shown them the back exit of the gym, and they'd managed to escape the crowd that had been waiting for them at the front.

"What was?" Brendan asked.

"The way Roxanne was acting. Why was she so concerned about Dewford?"

Brendan raised his brows. "Are you seriously that dense?"

"What?" May asked, offended.

Brendan looked down at her. "I really can't tell if you're joking or not."

"I'm not."

"Wow."

"What is it?" she practically spat.

"Roxanne is, like, _in love_ with Brawly."

May blinked. "Roxanne? In love with… Brawly?"

Brendan nodded. "Yup. Has been for as long as I've known her."

May couldn't see it. Roxanne was a prim and proper city girl. Brawly was a laid-back surfer dude. They couldn't have been any more different.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"One-hundred percent."

"Does Brawly know?"

"I don't know. Probably not. He doesn't strike me as the type to pick up on things like that." A slow grin spanned across his face. "But now that we're on the topic of relationships…"

May didn't like where this was going.

"I want to know what's going on between you and Steven."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Brendan said. "Or do you want to come up with an excuse as to why you were on top of –"

"Shh!" May's eyes flashed to Steven. He was a few meters ahead of her, engaged in a conversation with Lisia. She looked back at Brendan. "That wasn't what it looked like," she said. "You know how exhausted I was. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Suuuurre you weren't," Brendan said. "Were you also not thinking clearly when you told Steven that you'd never forgive yourself if he got hurt?"

He just _had_ to bring up that conversation. "You really shouldn't eavesdrop. It's unbecoming."

"I already told you, we weren't eavesdropping. And you're changing the subject."

"What do you want me to say? Steven and I aren't like that."

"Oh, please. You guys are like a pair of Luvdiscs."

"I don't want to hear that from you, _Brendy-boo,_ " May said, using Lisia's pet name for him like an insult.

Brendan's ears turned pink, but he kept at it. "C'mon, May. We're best buds. I told you about me and Lisia, but you can't tell me about you and Steven?"

"There's nothing to tell," she said. "Besides, I think he has a girlfriend."

"Really? Who?"

"Annette Harrison."

"As in, the famous actress?"

May nodded. "Yes."

Brendan wrinkled his nose. "What? There's no way that's true."

"There's no way it isn't true. Didn't you see the way she held onto him at the party?"

"Yeah, I did. She was clinging onto him for dear life. I want to ask him if he lost circulation in his arm, the poor guy."

"Stop. I'm sure they're very happy," May said, though the words felt wrong, almost like curse words.

"They're not dating," Brendan insisted.

"How are you so sure?"

"Well, for one, the whole nation would know if they were – Annette would make sure of that."

"She made it pretty clear at the party."

Brendan snorted. "Sounds like someone's jealous."

"I'm not jealous," May said. "I'm just being realistic. Steven and I are friends, and nothing more."

"Is that what you think?"

"That's what I know."

Brendan opened his mouth to say something, hesitated and closed it, and then opened it again. May thought that he looked like a beached Magikarp. "What is it?" she asked.

"I don't know if you know this, but…" Brendan rubbed the back of his head. "He looked for you, May."

"What?"

"Steven," Brendan clarified. "He looked for you. When you disappeared."

This was news to her. "He… Really?"

"Yeah. Just called me up one day and asked if I knew where you went."

"And… what did you tell him?"

"That I didn't know where you were." Brendan looked up to make sure Steven was still out of earshot before saying, "He sounded pretty bad, May."

She swallowed back the sudden dryness in her throat. "What do you mean, bad?"

"I don't know. Just… not right. Like he was going crazy or something. Really scared the hell out of me." Brendan waited for her to respond. When she didn't, he asked, "You still wanna say that you two are nothing more than friends?"

May lowered her gaze to the ground."He probably just blamed himself for my disappearance."

" _That's_ what you think it was? Guilt?"

"I know that's what it was."

Brendan scoffed. "Man. You really _are_ that dense."

The group made its way into Rusturf Tunnel. Fog filled the area like a thick, white carpet. Somewhere to their left, a Whismur cried.

"Ugh. It's creepy in here," Lisia said. She found her way to Brendan's side.

"It's not too far until we reach Verdanturf," May said.

Years ago, she'd met Wanda, Wally's cousin, in this tunnel. She'd also met Wanda's boyfriend, Riley, who'd been trying to clear some rocks obstructing the tunnel's path. They'd been grateful for her Swampert's Rock Smash, and had given her an open invitation to their home in Verdanturf.

With her hand in Wally's current predicament, May wasn't sure if the invitation still stood. Even so, she needed to offer them and the rest of Wanda's family an apology. It was the least she could do.

"How's your foot?"

"What?" May looked to her left. She hadn't seen Steven come next to her.

"How's your foot?" Steven asked again. "It's not still bothering you, is it?"

"Oh, uh, no. It's fine now. Thanks."

They walked side-by-side, their hands almost brushing. She wanted to ask him if he'd really looked for her, but she feared his answer. How would she react if he said yes? If he said no?

The group soon found the end of the tunnel and exited into the adjoining town. The two policemen that were stationed just outside tipped their hats at May when they spotted her.

"Any sign of him?" she asked.

They shook their heads. "No, ma'am."

Like those of Rustboro, the citizens of Verdanturf were living their day-to-day lives like nothing was wrong. Though she'd expected this, May felt her heart sink. The emergency broadcast seemed to have served no purpose.

She turned to her friends. "I'm going to go visit some people."

"Who?" Brendan asked.

"Some of Wally's relatives. They have a house here."

"Want us to come with?" Lisia asked.

May shook her head. "No, that's okay." She alone created this mess, and she alone would apologize for it.

"I won't be too long," she said. "Do you want to wait for me in the pokécenter?"

"Sure," Lisia said. She and Brendan went on their way.

Steven didn't follow them. "Are you sure you don't want us to come?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. I need to go by myself."

"Why is that, May?"

She blinked, taken aback by his question. "Um, because…" What was she supposed to say? That she alone needed to stand before the family she'd inconvenienced and apologize until her voice went hoarse? That she alone deserved every angry insult and criticism they might throw her way? Somehow, she didn't think Steven would like that very much.

She raked her mind for an excuse that he would accept.

He waited as she fumbled with her words.

"I'm sure you guys want to rest at the pokécenter," was the answer she settled on. "I mean, I don't need to, because I slept all day. You guys deserve to take a break."

Steven shrugged. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Well, um, you might feel tired in a few hours," May tried. "Why don't you rest up now while you can?"

"I thank you for your concern, but I really am fine," he said. "Why don't I accompany you on this visit of yours?"

"Actually, Steven…" May reached into her bag and tossed him her Swampert's pokéball. "Can you get him healed for me?"

Steven caught the pokéball with one hand. "Was he not already healed in Petalburg?"

"He was, but I want you to heal him again. Just in case. His injuries were pretty severe."

They stared at each other for what seemed like hours, both of their gazes unwavering. Finally, Steven turned away.

"Alright," was all he said. He headed for the pokécenter.

May released the breath she'd been holding. She wasn't sure what that had been all about, but she felt like she was walking away victorious.

She moved into the southern part of town and found Wanda's house. She knocked on the door. A second later, it opened.

"Oh," said a woman with dark brown hair. Her eyes were red and puffy. "Hello, Champion May."

"Hello, Wanda," May greeted Wally's cousin. "I'm sorry for showing up here unannounced."

"Not at all," Wanda said. "Am I right to assume that this visit is about Wally?"

May nodded. "That would be correct."

"Oh, but my aunt and uncle have already told us everything."

"I thought so," May said. "But if there's anything you or your parents want to ask me, or if you need me to do anything, please, let me help."

"That's very kind of you, Champion May." Wanda stepped to the side. "Please, come in."

"Thank you." May went inside.

Wanda's parents, Riley, and to May's surprise, Wally's parents, were seated around the kitchen table. They all had their heads lowered, like they were in the middle of prayer. They looked up as May entered the room.

"Champion May," Wally's aunt said. Her voice sounded thin, like ice on the verge of breaking.

"You're here about Wally?" Wally's uncle asked, his voice low and gruff.

May nodded once. "Yes."

"He's gone," Wally's mother said. Her brown eyes were like glass beads – glazed and unfocused. "He's gone."

A cold voice rang like bells in May's head. _Look at what you did,_ it told her. _Look at what you did to these poor people._

She squared her shoulders and inhaled a few deep breaths. She would keep it together long enough for her to give this family a well-deserved apology.

"I'm sorry," she said. "So, so sorry. For everything. I know my apology will never be enough to right my stupid mistakes, but I offer it nonetheless. You have every right to hate me."

"You didn't know any of this would happen," Wally's father said, neither accepting nor denying her apology.

May wasn't finished. "I will pay for the damages to your house," she said, "and I will do everything in my power to save Wally."

Wally's mother covered her ears. "Please. Please don't say that."

"I –" May took in a deep breath. "I failed Wally once, but I swear to you, I will not fail him again. I will bring him home."

"Stop that!" Wally's mother commanded. Her voice shot through the air like a bullet. "Don't make this more painful for us than it already is."

May shrunk back from the woman's outburst. "I – I didn't mean to –"

"Wally is _gone._ Can't you understand that?"

"But he's not gone for good," May said. "He may be under the influence of the blue orb, but there is a way to get it back.

Wally's mother didn't seem to hear her. "My sweet boy," she whispered, tears rolling down her face. "I will miss you for the rest of my days."

May couldn't believe what she was hearing. Wally's mother was acting like her son was already dead.

"He's still with us," May said.

Tears continued to flow down the grieving mother's face.

"Champion," Wally's uncle said. "It might be time for you to go."

"But he is," May insisted. "You can't give up on him like this."

"It's not a matter of giving up," Wanda said softly. "It's a matter of being realistic."

"Realistic?" May repeated.

"That's right," Riley agreed, finally speaking up. "If he could defeat you, our Champion, then nothing can stop him."

They weren't giving up on Wally. They were giving up on her. They didn't believe for a second that she could save him.

Hadn't she wanted people to take the situation seriously like this? She wasn't so sure anymore. Which was better – the carelessness of the townspeople outside, or the hopeless despair in here?

"The police told us everything," Wally's father said. "They said your pokémon was defeated with just one hit. Is that true?"

"Yes," May admitted. "But I –"

"How do you even begin to face something that's far stronger than you?" Riley asked, his tone hard.

"I –"

Wally's uncle added his own question. "He's already defeated you so easily. What makes you think he won't do it again?"

Too many questions. Before she could answer any of them, Wally's mother spoke. "One loss is enough. Go home to your mother."

Their words kept echoing as if they'd been shouted at the top of a mountain peak. May couldn't say anything. These people were right to doubt her. All she'd done since setting out on her search was take a nap. She didn't know if she'd be able to retrieve the blue orb once she found Wally. She didn't even know if she'd be able to find Wally at all.

Her throat began to close. The room began to darken.

It was happening again.

"Champion May?" Wanda stepped closer to her. "Are you okay?"

There were two loud knocks on the door. Before anyone could move to answer it, Steven let himself in.

"Pardon the intrusion," he said, "but we really must be going. I'm sure Wally would prefer being saved sooner rather than later." He grabbed May by the hand and led the way out of the house.

The interruption was enough to snap May out of her panic attack. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "I thought you were at the pokécenter."

Steven kept walking "I was."

"Where are Brendan and Lisia?"

"Still there."

"How – how much did you hear?" she asked.

"Just the part when multiple people decided to interrogate you all at once."

"Steven, stop." May pulled her hand back. Steven turned to face her. His blue eyes looked like ice.

"Why did you come after me?" she asked.

"Because I knew why you wanted to go alone," he said. "I knew, and I still let you go." He exhaled sharply. "I always do."

"What are you talking about?"

"I knew that you were going to apologize for something that was not your fault."

"It was my fault," she said.

"It's not as though you handed the blue orb to Wally," he said. "What happened was purely accidental. You shouldn't keep blaming yourself for it, and you shouldn't let anybody else blame you for it, either."

"Steven, those people lost a family member because of my carelessness. Of course it's my fault."

"They haven't lost anyone."

"In their minds, they have." May shook her head. "You should've heard them. They were talking as if Wally was already dead."

"They're afraid," Steven said. "They're afraid to hope he can be saved."

"Or they're just being realistic," May said, recalling what Wanda had said. "They know everything. They know what Wally is capable of, and they know that I don't stand a chance against him. I might as well call off the search and begin preparations to evacuate everyone to Kanto."

"I was afraid of this," Steven said, his voice low. "I was afraid that you would come back thinking even less of yourself than you already did."

"I'm just considering the possibility that I will fail."

"You won't."

"But what if I _do?_ "

"You won't," he said again. His voice grew a touch softer. "I won't let you."

How did he come to have so much faith in her?

"Steven, I don't –" She cut herself off. People were beginning to stop and stare. She could only imagine what they saw – the Champion and ex-Champion arguing in the middle of town. It was only a matter of time before the paparazzi caught wind of this.

"Let's go get Lisia and Brendan," she whispered. This time, she was the one to take Steven's hand and lead the way.

* * *

"Ah, Mauville," Lisia mused as they approached the indoor city. "This place has the best shops."

"We're not here to shop," May reminded her. "We're here to check in with Wattson."

When Steven had given her Swampert back a few minutes ago, the exchange had been reduced to just two words: "Here," and "Thanks." Aside from that, they hadn't spoken since their last conversation. It felt unfinished, hanging in the air between them like a heavy rain cloud.

But now was not the time to dwell on such things.

"Let's go," she said, pushing through the city's doors.

Mauville had always looked more like a shopping mall than a city. Shops and restaurants lined either side of the marbled hallways, and citizens carried bags full of recently purchased items.

"We've already stood out too much in Rustboro and Verdanturf," she whispered to her friends. "I'd rather that we don't do it agai –"

"Steven?"

They all looked up. Standing a few feet away was a blonde woman wearing huge sunglasses.

The woman broke out into a smile. Her teeth were blinding white. "Steven, it _is_ you!"

"Uh…" Steven studied her. "I'm sorry. Have we met before?"

The woman laughed a little too loudly. "Oh, Steven, you're so funny. I guess I can't get too mad – this wig must be throwing you off."

She lowered her sunglasses, revealing dark, Glameow-like eyes.

Recognition hit May at the same time Lisia hissed, "Annette."


	7. Smile

**A/N Hey everyone. I'm too tired to proof read this, so if anyone sees any typos or grammatical mistakes, please let me know. Also, feel free to tell me if you thought the chapter was too rushed, too short, or too stupid. Thanks for your continued support.**

* * *

"What are _you_ doing here?" Lisia asked, her upper lip curled in disgust. She looked like a snarling Pyroar.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Annette spat, her voice razor-sharp. "I can't imagine why someone like Steven would be hanging around someone like you."

Lisia huffed. "Unlike you, we're actually doing something useful."

"You, doing something useful?" Annette snorted. "What, is that a joke? When was the last time you did anything useful? And no, dancing around in a tutu does not count."

"I don't want to hear that from the girl who kissed a Feebas."

Annette balled her fists. "That was for a _role_!"

"Now, now," Brendan said, putting his hand on Lisia's arm. "Let's not fight."

"You know what?" Annette went on. "You're just jealous because _PokéCeleb_ had me on their cover this month."

Lisia shook off Brendan's hand. "Why would I be jealous? I've been on the cover of _PokéCeleb_ three times before."

"Um, I'm sorry, but wasn't the last time you were on their cover, like, a whole year ago?" Annette took her sunglasses off to glare at the girl. "Face it, Lisia. People are getting tired of you."

Lisia rolled her eyes. "Get out of here, Annette." She walked over to stand next to May. "We have work to do. Don't we, May?"

May stiffened. "Please don't bring me into this."

Annette turned to May. "Oh, yes. Our beautiful Champion, finally back from the dead." She smiled, but her tone sounded several degrees colder.

"Hello, Annette," May said. "How are you?"

Annette sauntered over to Steven, hips swinging like a pendulum, and wrapped her arms around one of his. "I'm fine," she said. "Thank you for asking."

May felt as if a hot stone had dropped into the pit of her stomach. It sat there, heavy and unmoving, heating her insides and boiling her blood. She wanted to rip the actress and her swinging hips right off of Steven.

May gave pause. Such thoughts weren't like her.

Steven sighed. "Annette," he said.

The actress looked up and beamed. "Yes, Steven?"

Whatever Steven was going to say never came.

"There they are!" someone shouted.

In a matter of seconds, a dozen photographers descended on the group like Mandibuzz to a carcass. Each camera fired off a thousand flashes per second.

"Champion May!" one called. "Who was the boy who took the blue orb?"

"Have you found him yet?" another one asked.

"How exactly does the League plan on solving the problem?"

"Steven Stone, what is your role in the situation?"

"Brendan Birch, what are your thoughts on all this?"

"Lisia, are you really travelling with the Champion?"

The crowd inched closer like an approaching wave. If May didn't move, she would drown in this mass of noise and light.

She reached behind her, feeling for the exit. Her hand grasped nothing but empty air. The door was just one step away. _Just one step._ But her legs wouldn't move. Her mind was begging them, screaming at them, to move, but they wouldn't.

Why did she keep freezing like this?

A huge, steel-blue barrier materialized in the enclosed space, separating May and her friends from the pressing crowd. The photographers gasped and jumped back, but continued to fire off their cameras nonetheless.

It wasn't just a barrier, May realized. It was a Metagross.

Brendan blew out a long stream of air. "You just saved my life," he said to Steven. "I thought I was going blind."

"Did the paparazzi have to show up _now?_ " Lisia huffed. "I haven't washed my hair in, like, two days!"

Annette snickered. "Yeah, we can all tell."

May didn't share their ease. She was still frozen, watching as the crowd tried to inch around Steven's Metagross.

She was suddenly pulled against someone's side.

"There will be none of that again," Steven said, his voice low in her ear. "Please."

She found her voice. "Steven, what…?"

"That's enough!" came a deep, booming voice from the opposite side of the barrier.

The flashes ceased as the photographers turned towards the newcomer.

"Our Champion is on an important mission, and you people are preventing her from completing it!" the voice continued. "Leave my city at once before I electrify you!" The cry of a Magneton followed, bringing truth to the threat.

A dozen pairs of legs scattered down the hallway.

"No need to keep hiding, now," the mystery man said, his tone noticeably lighter. "The big, bad men are gone." He started laughing.

Steven withdrew Metagross. Standing before them, still laughing, was Wattson.

May quickly stepped out of Steven's grasp. Being so close to him felt awkward, especially since they had yet to resolve their unfinished argument.

She looked to the side and found that Annette was staring right at her. The actress clearly wasn't impressed that May just had Steven's arm around her. If looks could kill…

"Move along now," Wattson said to the ring of people that had formed around the commotion. "Nothing to see here." He and his Magneton guided the people further and further back until the ring finally dispersed.

"Thanks for stepping in," May said to him. "The paparazzi came out of nowhere."

"Like a bunch of feral Rattata, they did!" Wattson grinned. "Can't say I'm too surprised, though. Once word got out that you were in Rustboro and Verdanturf, it didn't take people too long to figure out where you'd end up next."

May pursed her lips. It was bad enough that people were outside, but having them follow her when she was actively searching for danger was even worse. She'd need to be more secretive about her whereabouts.

"So," Wattson began. "Have you caught the little bugger yet?"

"No. I was just about to ask you if you've heard anything."

"Not even a whisper. But have no fear – should I see the boy, I'll shock him right back to his senses!" And then Wattson threw his head back and started laughing.

"Geez, it wasn't even that funny," Brendan muttered under his breath.

The doors opened behind the group.

"Oh!" Glacia exclaimed as she walked in. "I didn't expect to see you all here."

"Glacia," May greeted. "Any news?"

"No." The woman frowned. "I was just coming to see if Wattson had any, but…" She took one look at the man laughing himself to tears and sighed. "I guess not."

This wasn't good, May thought. So far, not one person had seen Wally. Where could he have possibly gone?

Glacia turned to the rest of the group. "Nice to see you again, Steven."

"You, too," he said.

"And you're Brendan Birch, yes?" Glacia asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Brendan said.

"Give my regards to your father. Wonderful man, he is." A line creased in her forehead as she looked at Lisia and Annette. "You must be Lisia and…?"

"Annette Harrison," the actress answered.

Glacia's brows shot up.

Annette smiled. "You probably didn't recognize me because of the wig, but it's me."

Glacia gave a stiff, returning smile, and then moved close to May like she was about to share a secret.

"I was surprised to hear from Sidney that you'd brought a contest star along," she whispered, "but a movie star, too? Must they really be here?"

"Annette isn't with us," Lisia clarified. Her words were clipped.

Glacia didn't appear too bothered that the girl had heard her. "Is that so?"

"I've allowed Lisia to travel with me, yes," May said. "I see no problem with it so long as she adheres to my direction."

"Alright," Glacia said. Her tone was heavy with disapproval.

May noticed the dark circles underneath the woman's eyes. "Glacia, when was the last time you slept?"

"Two nights ago," Glacia said. "But do not fret - I've gone longer without sleep before."

"You have an apartment here, right?" May asked. "I think you should take some time to rest."

"I thank you for your concern, but I cannot possibly sleep knowing that the boy still poses a threat."

"Glacia, I slept half the day away. It's not fair that you and the rest of the Elite have continued to work in my place. Besides, I think you've earned a couple hours of sleep from the broadcast you gave."

Glacia smiled. "Thank you, though I do wish that I'd put more urgency in my words. Hoenn's citizens seem not to register the impending doom."

"That's not your fault. You only told the country as much as I allowed you to say."

"Still…"

"Really, Glacia. Get some rest. The police will continue to patrol the area."

Wattson finally stopped laughing to say, "And I'll continue to keep my eyes peeled. My students and I have been keeping lookout on the roof."

Glacia hesitated, and then nodded. "Very well. But I will not sleep for more than a few hours."

"Good," May said.

"What do you plan on doing now?" Glacia asked.

"We're headed for Lavardige," May said.

"Lavaridge? Why?"

"Because that's the direction Wally ran in."

"I see," Glacia said. "Well, please let me know if you see or hear anything new. Like I said, I won't be out of commission for very long." She lifted a hand in farewell, and then headed for the elevator at the end of the hall.

"Glad she decided to get some rest," Wattson said.

"I'm surprised she relented so easily," May said. "She can be so stubborn sometimes."

"Remind you of anyone?" Steven murmured.

May ignored him. "Please call me immediately if you see or hear anything," she told Wattson.

"Will do." Wattson turned on his heel. "I'm going to get going now. If I leave my students alone for too long, they'll surely electrify this place to smithereens!" And then he and his Magneton disappeared down the hallway.

"Looks like everyone's leaving," Lisia said. She turned to Annette. "That's your cue to leave, too."

Annette flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Whatever. It's not like I want to be around you any longer." Then she looked up at Steven with a smile dazzling enough to light a cave. "You know, there's this great café just on the other side of the city. I was just wondering if you wanted to –"

"Man, I gotta take a leak," Brendan cut in. He looked at Steven. "You think there's a bathroom nearby?"

"I have an apartment upstairs," Steven said. "You're welcome to use that."

"Perfect!" He slung an arm around Steven's shoulders, and the two men started for the same elevator that Glacia had used moments ago. "Lead the way, buddy."

And then there were three.

Annette watched the guys leave, looking like she wanted to rip Brendan's hair out of his head. "Your boyfriend is an imbecile," she hissed at Lisia.

"At least I _have_ a boyfriend," Lisia shot back. She grabbed May's hand and began leading the way down another hallway. "Bye, Annette. Hope you don't get mistaken for a mop with that god-awful wig of yours."

"This wig cost more than your life!"

"Where are we going?" May asked. "Shouldn't we wait for the guys?

"They'll find us. Besides, we have work to attend to."

"Work?"

"Yes, work." Lisia pulled her into a store with the words _Mauville Boutique_ hung over its glass doors.

The walls were painted a bright yellow, and the floor was made from cream-colored marble. Uncharacteristic of a boutique, there were no clothing racks. All there was were two white sofas, two small, round platforms, and two full-length mirrors. The place looked like one, large fitting room.

"Milo!" Lisia called.

A dark-haired man dressed in all black emerged from the hidden room in the back corner. He broke out into a smile when he saw Lisia and glided over to give her a hug.

"I'd know that voice anywhere," he said. "How are you, Lisia?"

Lisia hugged him back. "Good."

"Good."

Lisia stepped back. "We need your help, Milo."

"We?" Milo repeated. He looked over at May. He gasped. "You're the Champion!" he exclaimed.

"Yes," May said. "It's nice to –"

She was pulled into a Bewear-crushing hug.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to meet you," Milo said. He held her away at arm's length to study her. "Is this really happening? I can't believe this is really happening."

"I'm… flattered," May gasped.

"May," Lisia said. "This is Milo."

Milo released his hold around May to shake her hand. "At your service."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," May said.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Champion."

"He's designed over one hundred costumes for me," Lisia said. "He even made the dress that you wore at the Devon party. Pretty amazing, right?"

May nodded. "Yes. I'm impressed."

"Wait." Milo held up his hands. "Back up. The dress you had me make was for the _champion?_ "

Lisia nodded. "Yup."

"We're talking about the red one, right? With the slit down the leg?"

"Mm-hm."

Milo's jaw dropped. "What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know. All Brendy-boo said was that he had a friend who needed a dress."

"He seriously didn't tell you that this friend of his was _Champion May?"_

"Nope."

"Ugh." Milo rubbed his temples. "I would've gone all out if I'd known. Such a wasted opportunity."

"It was a beautiful dress," May said, not adding that the garment now sat in a shredded heap on her bedroom floor.

"Thank you, Miss Champion, though I do wish that you'd worn one of my finer pieces." Milo sighed. "Now, what brings you ladies to my humble domain?"

"She's here to get a new outfit," Lisia answered.

"A new outfit?" May looked at her. "Why?"

"Because the paparazzi knows what you're wearing," Lisia explained. "We need to get you into something new."

"But what about the rest of you?" May asked. "Don't you need new outfits, too?"

"Please, May. No need to be so humble. All of those cameras back there were focused on you." Lisia flashed a small smile. Then she turned back to Milo and asked, "Can you help her?"

"Can I help the Champion?" Milo sounded offended. " _Of course_ I can help the Champion. What are we going for today?"

"Hmm…" Lisia thought for a moment. "Something cute, but not _too_ cute – we're fighting a battle, not picking daisies. Sturdy, too, since we'll be doing a lot of walking. And it has to be subtle enough to keep attention away, but it can't be too boring, either – she's in the company of a good-looking guy."

"Oh?" Milo raised a brow. "A boyfriend?"

Lisia grinned. "Not officially."

May felt color rise into her face. "Lisia…"

"Cute, sturdy, and subtle," Milo repeated. "Okay. I think I've got something." He grabbed May by the wrist and led her into the back room. "Let's go."

All of the clothing racks were back here. Milo bounced between three of them like a pinball, and then returned to May carrying a pile of clothes.

"Here," he said, handing her the pile. "Put these on."

"Right here?" she asked self-consciously. She'd never undressed in front of a guy.

"Don't worry – I'll wait out in the front." He turned on his heel and left.

When May returned to the front room, she felt like the biggest idiot in the world.

Lisia and Milo stood from one of the sofas.

"Oh my gosh," Lisia said. "You look great!"

May wanted to hide in one of the clothing racks. "I don't think this outfit suits me."

"Of course it does!" Lisia waved her over. "Now, come stand in front of the mirror so you can see yourself."

May walked over, stood on the round platform, and looked at her reflection.

She wore a light blue sleeveless dress that fell just above her knee. On her feet were beige, open-toed wedge heels, and on her head was a hat with a brim so big that one side kept flopping over her eye. The only thing that was left of her previous outfit was the brown bag draped over her shoulder.

She didn't look at all like she was going to fight an orb-possessed boy. She looked like she was going for a stroll through the garden.

"What do you think?" Milo asked Lisia. "Do you like the color? It's not overbearing, but it still makes her eyes pop."

Lisia nodded. "Yes, yes. I love it."

"The wedge heels won't sink into the grass," Milo went on, "and the hat will keep her face concealed. It's a very popular look amongst Hoenn ladies. Cute, sturdy, and subtle, just like you asked."

"Milo, you're a genius!"

"I really appreciate your help," May started, "but I really don't think I can wear something like this.

"Why not?" Lisia asked. "I'm wearing a dress, too."

May raised the brim of her hat. "But I can't see anything."

"Well, of course," Milo said. "The paparazzi can't see you if you can't see them."

Lisia clapped. "It really is perfect, Milo."

"Thank you, my dear. Let's hope that the good-looking guy you were talking about thinks so, too."

* * *

May walked to the city's northern entrance, having just gotten off the phone with Brendan. He and Steven were waiting for her.

Lisia had stayed behind at the boutique to pay Milo for the outfit. "Don't worry about it," she'd said when May objected. "Besides, I'm sure I'm happier with the outfit than you are."

Well, she was right about that.

May bumped into a woman walking in the opposite direction. "Sorry," she said. The stupid hat kept blocking her vision.

"Watch where you're going," the woman spat.

May flushed. "I'm sorry," she said again, and looked up.

Annette gasped. "You?" She looked May up and down. "What are you wearing?"

"Just… something different."

Annette's nails dug into the paper coffee cup she was holding. "Cute," she said, though her tone of voice made it clear that she thought the outfit was anything but cute.

May started to shuffle past her. "Nice to see you again."

"I liked the broadcast," Annette said.

May paused. "What?"

"I _said,_ " Annette repeated, "that I liked the broadcast. You know, the one that the ice queen gave?"

"Oh, um. Thanks."

"But," Annette continued, "I saw right through it.

"What do you mean?"

"This whole catastrophe thing? I know it's just a publicity stunt."

"Publicity stunt?"

"Look," Annette said. "You don't have to keep pretending with me – I'm not stupid. I know that it's no coincidence that this big crisis happens _the exact moment_ you come back into the spotlight."

May felt her mouth open in disbelief. "It's not a publicity stunt, and I ask that you take it seriously. The country is in danger."

"Yeah, alright, sure." Annette took a sip from the cup, and then held it out to May. "Can you give this to Steven? I got it for him. Black coffee's his favorite."

May froze. How did she know that?

Annette shoved the cup into May's stiff hand. "Also," she went on, "don't get any ideas. Steven's mine." She started walking away. "See you later, Little Miss Champion."

May felt her face warm. With anger, with humiliation, she didn't know.

There was a trashcan just several feet away. She forced herself to close the distance. Then she threw the coffee into the garbage.

* * *

May spotted Brendan and Steven standing near the doors.

"Ugh, women take forever to shop," Brendan groaned. "How much longer are they gonna make us wait?"

"I'm right here," May said as she walked up to them.

The two men looked over.

"Woah." Brendan whistled. "Nice outfit."

"Thanks," May said. Her tone was as dry as sand.

"I mean it," Brendan insisted. He turned to Steven. "Right?"

"You look lovely," he said in that frustratingly soft and gentle voice of his.

May ground her teeth. What was this guy doing, calling other women lovely when he had a famous actress as a girlfriend?

"So, what's the occasion?" Brendan asked. "We going to another party?"

"No. We're going to find Wally. I just don't want the paparazzi to keep harassing me."

"Oh, so it's like a disguise?"

"Something like that, yes," May said.

Brendan snorted. "You should've gotten a wig like Annette. Then you could've been twins."

May clenched her hands into fists.

Steven was still staring at her. She ducked her head, letting the brim of her hat block him from view.

"Sorry I'm late," Lisia called as she trotted towards the group. "I got caught in a conversation with Milo."

"It's fine," May said. She pushed through the doors, walking out into Route 111."But let's get moving, shall we? Lavaridge is a ways to go."

* * *

"Are you mad or something?" Brendan asked as he walked beside May.

"No," she said. "Why would I be mad?"

"I don't know. You're not saying anything."

"I'm just tired."

"You haven't smiled once this whole time, you know."

"What is there to smile about?"

"Geez, May. What is it?" Brendan demanded. "Is it because we ran into Annette?"

May wasn't sure what expression showed on her face, but Brendan took it as a confirmation to his words.

"So _that's_ what it is," he said.

"It is not. I told you - I'm just tired. And I didn't want to be put in this stupid outfit."

"Don't let her get to you," Brendan said. "She's just jealous because she knows how close you and Steven are."

May looked back to make sure Steven was talking to Lisia before saying, "She knows that he likes black coffee."

"What?"

"Annette knows that Steven likes black coffee."

"So?"

"So how else would she know that if she's not his girlfriend?"

"Are you kidding me? _I_ know that, and I'm not Steven's girlfriend."

"But she always has her arms around him. And he's never pushed her away."

"Because he's too nice of a guy," Brendan said. "So nice, that he probably would have gone to that café with her if I hadn't stepped in."

"Yeah, but –"

"Why don't you just _ask_ him if he's dating Annette?"

"Because…" May kicked a pebble out of the way. "It shouldn't matter to me."

The world was in danger, and here she was wondering if Steven and Annette were dating. What was wrong with her?

Brendan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

The group made its way through Routes 111 and 112, and then stopped at the base of Mt. Chimney.

"Are we gonna ride the cable car?" Lisia asked.

"Yes," May said. "I want to do a sweep through Jagged Pass."

They went inside the cable car station.

May raised her hat from her face so she could look at the lone employee working the cable cars. "Hi. The four of us would like to go up, please."

"No way." The employee covered her mouth. "No. _Way._ You're the champion! You're Champion May! You're here! Like, actually here!" She swiveled her head around as if looking for someone to share the excitement with. Then she dug her nav out of her back pocket. "My friends are _not_ going to believe this. Can I get a picture with you?" She inched closer as if she'd already been given the okay.

May cursed herself. She shouldn't have uncovered her face. How could she have forgotten that people no longer saw her as one of them?

"Actually," Steven said, stepping forward so that he was partially shielding May from sight, "we're in a bit of a hurry."

"Oh." The employee blinked, startled, only just becoming aware of the others. "Are you guys looking for the boy who stole the thing?"

"Yes," Steven said, "and we would greatly appreciate it if you could help us out."

"Yeah, of course."

Steven smiled. "Thank you…" He read the nametag pinned to her shirt. "Erin."

Erin's face turned beet red. "No problem."

May pursed her lips. Is that how she looked whenever Steven spoke to her?

Erin walked behind her to the stationary cable car and unlatched the door. "It's two people per unit."

"Perfect," Lisia said. She grabbed Brendan's hand, and the two of them climbed into the car.

Erin moved to the control panel at the side, pressed a few buttons, and the car lurched forward.

May watched it rise into the sky. She'd thought that all four of them would ride together. Now, she was going to be trapped in a confined space with Steven.

The next car rolled in and stopped. Erin opened the door. "Right this way."

May stepped in and sat down on the bench. Steven took the seat across from hers. Their knees almost touched.

"Enjoy the ride," Erin side. She closed the door, and then they were off.

May stared out the window, watching the scenery shrink beneath her. The sun was setting, just a big, glowing orb suspended in the sky. Soon, it would be dark enough to see any glowing figures lurking within the trees.

"I know it's just for the sake of anonymity," Steven began, "but you really do look lovely."

May turned away from the window. He was awash in orange light, his silver features now gold. He looked the same as when she'd found him at the Devon party. He looked perfect.

She wished that he didn't. She wished that he'd stop looking so damned composed all the time. She wished that he'd open up to her like he had in his apartment.

Had he ever opened up to Annette?

She pushed the thought from her mind. "Thank you," she said.

A gust of wind rocked the cable car. May felt the color drain from her face. She'd never been afraid of heights, but it occurred to her now that the only thing keeping her from falling to her death was a single metal hinge attached to a very thin wire.

"It's okay," Steven said. "We won't fall."

May stared into his eyes. "How are you able to read me so easily?"

"Because your feelings show so easily on your face."

"But yours don't. I can't read you at all."

"Years of practice, I suppose."

"What do you mean?"

Steven leaned his head back as he considered an answer. "I'm to be the president of a company I didn't build," he said, "and I was the champion of a league I never had to battle. My father and Wallace, for whatever reason, put all their faith into me, and I decided long ago that I would never crush that faith by appearing weak and afraid."

"What are you afraid of?" May asked. She was whispering, though she didn't know why.

"Many things." Steven had begun to whisper too.

"Tell me one."

"I'm afraid that you'll think even less of yourself than you already do."

"You said that in Verdanturf," May said.

"I did."

"That's not a valid fear."

"It is," he said. "It's a truly terrifying thing when the strong don't know their own strength."

"I'm not as strong as you think. If I was, then Wally wouldn't have defeated me so easily."

"You were unprepared then. Now, you know what to expect. Please, try to have a little confidence in yourself for once."

May turned her gaze back to the window. They were even higher now. The land beneath them was a sea of dark green spotted with points of glimmering light.

"Tell me another fear of yours," she said.

"Another one?"

"Please." She wanted to know him as well as he knew her.

"Then…" he said. "I'm afraid that our cable car is going to fall."

May turned back to him with raised brows. "But you assured me that it wasn't going to."

"Again, years of practice," he said. "I'm actually terrified at the moment."

May stared at him, stunned, and then burst out in a fit of laughter.

"You're… ridiculous," she rasped, keeling over in her seat.

Even when she had laughed out all the air in her system, she continued to gasp like a sick Weezing. She didn't think she'd ever heard anything so funny.

She finally caught her breath, and erupted all over again.

When she could go on no longer, she sat up and wiped her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Steven," she said, still grinning.

But Steven didn't look at all offended. He seemed to be in awe, like he was observing the most beautiful piece of art.

"You finally smiled," he said.

"I… guess I did." She hadn't thought it was possible. Was smiling always this effortless? It felt nothing like the forced grimaces she'd been donning over the last few years.

"And all it took was for me to share my fears," Steven said.

May laughed again, and then tilted her face down. "Sorry."

Steven reached out to lift her chin up. "No, don't hide."

That wiped the smile right off of her face. Her humor vanished. Embarrassment took its place. She felt her face turn as red as Erin's had.

"Oh dear," Steven said, his voice soft like the fading sunlight. "Look what I've done."

Her thoughts disappeared. So too did her ability to speak. How could this man think of himself as weak when he could reduce the champion into a blushing, speechless mess?

With his free hand, he took her hat off and placed it in the seat next to her.

Here, in this cable car, it was easy for her to imagine that they were the only two people in the universe. Nothing else existed outside. There were no jobs to complete, no positions to fill. Everything she needed was in this tiny space.

Another gust of wind blew into the car, rocking it from side to side. Swampert's pokéball fell out of May's bag and rolled onto the floor.

And then May remembered.

She remembered the blue orb. She remembered Wally. She remembered that she had a duty to save the country.

She remembered Annette. And she remembered that Steven wasn't hers.

She pulled back from his touch. "We'll be arriving in Lavaridge soon," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. She placed her hat back on her head – she was beginning to like the sense of security that it brought. "Maybe Flannery will have some news for us."

"Maybe," Steven said. "I do find it a bit strange that nobody has heard anything new as of yet."

The change of topic didn't seem to faze him at all. Was he only pretending to be composed, or was he truly unaffected by the brief moment of tenderness they'd just shared?

She decided that she didn't want to know.

She reached down, retrieved Swampert's pokéball, and placed it back into her bag.

* * *

"Finally," Lisia gasped as they emerged from the woods. "I was about to pass out."

Jagged Pass had been a nightmare. The group had spent hours traversing down slopes and climbing over ledges, all while a thick sheet of ash rained down from Mt. Chimney. Lisia had gotten a gash on her shin from a particularly nasty fall, and May had switched Milo's wedge heels with her usual running sneakers. There'd been no sign of Wally.

The group, covered in sweat and ashes, half-stumbled in Lavaridge. It was nearing ten o'clock at night, and the town was empty.

Lisia headed straight for the pokécenter. "Let's go book some rooms."

Twenty minutes later, May was lying on a bed, too tired to care that she was dirtying the white linen.

The bathroom door opened. Lisia emerged wearing nothing but a bath towel. Steam poured out behind her.

"Your turn," she said.

May went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Steam still hung in the air. The mirror was completely fogged up. The tile floor was soaking wet.

May undressed, tossing her hat and dress into a corner on the floor. The blue dress was now dyed gray. She'd ruined yet another one of Milo's pieces.

She showered until the water ran clear down the drain. Then she dried herself off with one of the room's complimentary towels, and then put on the oversized white robe that was hanging on the back of the door.

She stepped out of the bathroom. The room was empty.

"Lisia?" she called.

Her eyes landed on the notepad sitting on the night table between the two beds. She walked over to it. There was a message:

 _Went to the hot springs. You should come – we deserve it._

May grabbed her room key, shoved it in her robe's pocket, and walked out the door.

She passed the guys' room, made it into the elevator, and descended to the first floor. Then she walked across the lobby and headed to the back of the room. Two separate doors led to the hot springs. The pink and blue banners that marked where each gender went were nowhere to be seen.

"Sorry about that, Miss Champion," the nurse standing behind the counter said. "The banners were starting to get filthy, so we sent them to the cleaners. If you're going to the hot springs, you'll want to go through the door on the -"

May raised her hand. "That's alright - I know which side to go through."

"Very well, Miss Champion."

Though it'd been a while since she'd last been here, May knew that the women's side was on the left. She pushed through the door.

She shivered as the night air made contact with her freshly showered skin. The stone pathway felt damp and cold beneath her feet.

The spring was surrounded by volcanic rock and divided in the middle by a wall crafted from bamboo shoots. Steam rose into the air, thick as clouds. May could hardly see what was in front of her.

Her robe fell to the ground, and she eased herself into the water.

She sighed, allowing her muscles to relax. She felt as though the horrible trek through Jagged Pass never happened.

She looked around her. Where was Lisia?

There was a figure sitting just a bit further in the spring, partially obscured by the steam.

"There you are," May said, moving closer to Lisia. "For a moment, I thought I was the only one here."

And then May was close enough to see that the figure was not Lisia.

It was Steven.

* * *

 **A/N 'TWAS STEVEN.  
**


	8. Chapter 8 preview

**A/N I told myself that I'd stop posting previews, but I think I need to for this chapter. I want to know people's reactions to this before I proceed with the rest of the chapter. It gets a little… sexual (for lack of a better word), and I'm not sure if you guys will like it or not. Let me know. Thanks.**

* * *

May's arms flew up to cover her chest.

"What are you doing here?" Her words came out in squeaks. She looked as far to the side as she possibly could and sank deeper into the water. Her heart was beating so hard into her throat that she felt like she was choking.

"I – I was going to ask you the same thing." May could hardly hear him through the roaring in her ears. She felt the water move as he backed away from her.

"I was just – I mean, I didn't know – I thought that this was the women's side, and I…" Awareness dawned on her. This was her fault. The nurse had tried to tell her which side to go through, but like an idiot, May hadn't listened.

"I – I'm pretty sure that this is the men's side," Steven said. His voice held a slight tremor.

"Yes. I can see that now." Her voice cracked on every word.

Her neck was starting to hurt, but she refused to look at anything but the bamboo wall. Yet again, she'd made a complete fool out of herself in front of this man.

She wanted to duck her head underwater and never resurface.

"I'm… going to leave now," she said, backing up towards the edge of the bath.

"That's… probably for the best," was Steven's strained reply.

With her arms still covering her chest, May turned around and moved through the water as fast as she could. The first thing she was going to do once she got back to her room was summon her Swampert and order it to slap her across the face.

And then, just before she could climb out of the bath, she heard footsteps padding down the stone pathway.

Someone was approaching.

She froze. A complete stranger was about to see the champion in all her naked glory.

Just when she thought the situation couldn't possibly get any worse.

A hand landed on her shoulder.

She flinched. "What are you…?"

Steven pushed her back until she was pressed against the volcanic rocks. Then he leaned forward and braced both hands on either side of her head, effectively shielding her from sight.

"Stay quiet for now," he whispered.

She couldn't have spoken even if she'd wanted to. The part in her brain that converted thoughts into words had completely shut down. If someone were to ask her for her name right now, she wouldn't have been able to say it.

She didn't know where to look. His shirtless self was way too close, completely filling the scope of her vision.

Arceus, had Steven always been so _toned?_ His body was on par with that of a triathlete's. Broad shoulders, well-built arms, and chiseled abs – a combination that put every male swimsuit model to shame.

His head was turned far to the side, just as hers had been. Steam rose from his skin like smoke from a fire, and water droplets ran down the span of his chest, sparkling like diamonds.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to squeeze her eyes shut or stare until her eyes dried out.

The newcomer stepped into the bath.

"Ahhhh, this feels so _good._ " It was Brendan. _Of course_ it was Brendan. May would rather have taken her chances with a complete stranger. If Brendan saw her, he would _never_ let her live this down.

"Steven, that you over there?" Brendan asked. "I can't see that well through the steam."

"Yes –" Steven coughed. "Yes, it's me."

"I was wondering where you'd went. Guess we had the same idea, huh?"

"I guess so."

"What are you doing all the way over there?" The water rippled around Brendan as he took a step closer.

"Don't – don't come near me," Steven said. His voice was shaking.

May bit her lip. Where was his usual composure?

"Why not? Something wrong?" Brendan asked.

"I… I'm feeling a bit under the weather. I don't want to get you sick."

"Dude, seriously? If you don't feel well, go back to the room and lie down."

"I was hoping that – that the steam would help. It seems to be working, but I think you should keep your distance for now. Just in case."

"If you say so."

Brendan sighed contentedly, settling in for a night of relaxation. Steven, on the other hand, remained as taut as a bow string, his neck still turned to the side.

May stared up at him, willing him to do something. They couldn't stay like this all night.

Still covering her chest, she leaned over and nudged his arm with her shoulder.

He flinched, and then turned his head until he could see her from the corner of his eye.

"Do something," she mouthed.

He nodded, and then turned his head back.

"Brendan," he said.

"Yeah?"

"Lisia was telling me before about your study on shiny pokémon."

"Oh, that? Yeah. Just a little something I'm working on."

"Care to go into more detail? I'm curious."

"Sure, though there's really not much to it. I'm just trying to find out what exactly causes this rare coloration in a pokémon, but…" Brendan sighed. "I'm not having much luck."

"Lisia said you have pictures on your nav?"

"Yeah, but not many. Only about six or seven, and they're all of Zigzagoon."

"I'd still love to see them sometime," Steven said, "since I've never seen a shiny pokémon before."

"Wait, _really_?"

"Really."

"But like, not even in pictures?"

"Not even in pictures." Steven's voice had steadied. Good, May thought. He was finally getting it together.

"Okay. Wait right there." Brendan climbed out of the bath. "I'm gonna go get my nav."

They waited until his footsteps were no longer audible before they moved.

Steven stepped away until he was on the other side of the bath. He kept his head down.

May moved to the edge of the bath and climbed out. She retrieved her robe from the ground, wrapped it around herself, and then walked along the path as fast as she could without slipping against the wet stone. How she was going to face Steven from this point on, she didn't know.

She bolted through the door.

The nurse looked over. "How was your bath, Champion May?" She seemed unaware that May had just walked in through the men's side.

May swallowed. "Fine, thank you."

She went to the elevator and pushed the button. The doors opened a moment later, and Lisia walked out.

"Oh, May," she said. "Did you see my note?"

"I did," May said. "Where were you this whole time?"

"At the vending machine. The stupid thing wouldn't take my dollar." Lisia tightened the bath towel covering her body.

"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that."

Lisia squinted at her. "Why is your face so red?"

"Because I, uh… I was just in the bath," May said. "The heat must've gotten to me."

"You went in without me?"

"Sorry…"

"No worries, girl. We can go together right now." Lisia grabbed May's hand and started for the right-hand door.

"You know," May said, "I think I'm just going to head back to the room."

Lisia stopped and looked back at her. "Why?"

"I'm feeling a bit overheated at the moment."

"Oh, come on." Lisia started walked again. "You'll be fine. The steam is good for your pores."

They pushed through the door and walked down the pathway. Lisia let her towel fall from her body, and she stepped into the bath.

"This is the best," she sighed. "Come on in, May. The water's fine."

May bit her lip. Steven was still on the other side of the wall, hearing everything they said and did. Maybe if she pretended like nothing was wrong, like nothing had happened between the two of them, then he would follow suit.

May disrobed, and then slipped into the bath.

"Oh my gosh." Lisia was staring at her.

"What is it?" May asked.

"You have such a nice _bod._ "

May reddened. "Lisia…"

"No, seriously." Lisia was still staring. "Your boobs are so _big._ "

May wanted to die.

"Why haven't I ever noticed them before?" Lisia went on. "Ugh, I'm so jealous."

May covered her chest. "Then don't look at them."

"I can't help it. You're like, super skinny, so how do you have boobs that _big?_ "

From the other side of the wall, Steven cleared his throat.

Lisia's eyes went wide. "Did you hear that?" she whispered. "I think there's someone over there." Another beat passed. Then she threw her head back and started laughing.

May sank into the water. How long would she have to keep her nose and mouth submerged until she drowned?

Someone was walking towards the men's bath. "Alright, here it is."

Lisia stopped laughing. "Brendy-boo?" she called. "Is that you over there?"

"Oh, Liz!" Brendan said. "You're here, too?"

"Yup. And so is May."

"Steven's here, too," Brendan said.

"So it was probably Steven we heard," Lisia whispered.

"Yeah. Probably," May said, her voice flat.

"Woah, Steven," Brendan said. "You're face is seriously red. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," Steven said. "Just… feeling a little overheated."

* * *

 **A/N Again, let me know if you liked/disliked this preview. It is unedited, so there may be spelling/grammar mistakes.**


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